Alive
by mystarlesseyes
Summary: Crona finally has freedom after killing Medusa. What will he do now? Whatever the hell he wants to. Rated M for language and content.
1. Chapter 1

That blood…that blood splattered across the walls, pooling in a puddle on the floor, staining their clothes…that blood. Why was it red? Crona stared down at the mangled, torn apart body that lay motionless on the floor before him. That body which supposedly belonged to his mother. But if that witch was really his mother, why was her blood red? Shouldn't it be black like his? Was his real mother out there somewhere, black blood running through her veins? And what about his father? Where was he?

Crona unclenched his fist, allowing Ragnarok to return to his bloodstream. Despite his wondering thoughts, he knew that Medusa really was his real mother. And his father was one of the many men she would bring home and then kill, only after getting what she wanted from them. That woman, that witch…the one who controlled his every action, who forced him to do evil things, who never once showed a sliver of kindness to him, _that _was his mother. But the pile of bloody body parts that lay on the floor right now…that was not her. It couldn't have been. Medusa never showed him a kind touch or have him such praise.

Letting out a sigh, Crona stepped past the body, being careful to avoid the puddle of blood as he sat back down in his seat. He turned to his plate of pasta, his favorite kind: angel hair noodles with vegetable sauce. Even this treat was almost too much of a kindness to receive from his mother. Crona lifted his fork and twirled the noodles onto it with the help of a spoon. It tasted just as delicious as he had remembered.

"Hey…do you want some, Ragnarok?" Crona muttered in a low voice. "She said there's extra…I'm sure it's in the kitchen. I could fix you a plate."

The black demon emerged from Crona's spine, resting on the messed pink hair of the meister. Ragnarok had a surprisingly concerned expression on his little black face, his ping pong ball eyes crossing as they stared down at the boy. "Are you serious right now?" Ragnarok spoke, poking softly at the meister's cheek. "You go nuts and kill the snake bitch, and then you sit down for a fucking plate of pasta? You're more screwy than I thought."

Crona swallowed the bite of food in his mouth and glanced up to the demon. "So, what? You don't want any then?" he asked, twirling his fork in the pasta again to gather up another bite. "I might actually finish this whole plate then…I might even get seconds…I might eat it all."

"Slow down, fat ass," Ragnarok glared at him. "I never said I didn't want any! It's just…" He paused, turning to glance at the painfully obvious dead body still lying in the middle of the floor. "What are you going to do now?"

Crona swallowed another bite and scraped up the last of the sauce on his plate. "Well…I think I'll go get some more food…then I'll shower. There's blood all over me," Crona mumbled as he glanced down at his bloodstained robe. "And then…then I'll go shopping." He stood up and walked his plate to the kitchen.

"Shopping?" Ragnarok held on tight to the meister's pink hair as he traveled to the kitchen. The demon glanced back at the body again, as if he were making sure Crona knew of its existence as well. He hated to admit it, but Ragnarok was really concerned about his meister. It was almost as if Crona had snapped. He had gone completely crazy when killing Medusa, but once the act was over, he was frighteningly calm. The demon tugged on Crona's hair again. "What the hell do you mean?" he demanded, growing impatient.

"I don't want to wear this robe anymore, so I'll go shopping for some different clothes," Crona stated simply, piling more pasta onto his plate, then turning to the pot of vegetable sauce as he licked his lips. "This sauce is my favorite…do you want any?"

For once, Ragnarok did not want to eat. Instead, he wanted answers. "Crona, damn it you moron, give me a straight answer!" he yelled as he banged his fists into the meister's head. "What the hell are you going to do?!"

Crona walked back to his place at the table and sat down, twirling up another bite of pasta, his second helping this time. He was silent as he ate, clearing his plate and gulping down a large glass of water before deciding to speak. "What am I going to do?" Crona mumbled the weapon's question. "I'm going to do whatever I want."

"…what?" Ragnarok stared down at him, dumbfound.

"I'm free now," Crona turned to Medusa's mangled body. "I can do whatever I want." He stood up from his place and walked over to the witch's body, kicking it over to free a purple soul floating out of her chest. He grasped it in his hand and raised it up. "You sure you're not hungry, Ragnarok?"

Ragnarok blinked his large white eyes, a bit of drool trickling out of his mouth as he spotted the soul. "Damn…a witch soul," he hummed to himself. "You really mean it? I mean, this won't fuck you up in the head if I eat your mother's soul, will it?" The demon tapped a fist against Crona's head.

"She's not my mother," Crona sighed, glancing down at the body again. "She's nothing but a pile of blood and flesh…red blood." He looked back up to the purple soul again. "Just a witch. Nothing more… So, you want it? If not, I'll just turn it in to Lord Death."

"Shut the hell up," Ragnarok pressed down on Crona's head as he leaned forward, extending a long pink tongue to lick up the soul and swallow it in one bite. With a purple glow, the demon grew a bit larger, but not by much. His white eyes rolled around a bit as he grinned. "Goopi, that was good!"

"You're welcome," Crona said simply. He gripped his arm as he stepped past Medusa's dead body and walked towards the door. Glancing back one last time, he stared down at the blood. That woman was never really his mother, at least, she wasn't what a mother should be. She didn't deserve to be called a mother. She was evil and vile, and he was glad that she was finally dead. Crona turned, walking slowly out the door. That was the last time he would ever see that house again.

**A/N: Hey there! Hope you liked it so far. Obviously, this story takes place after Crona kills Medusa in the Manga, however I have branched off onto my own story after that. If I get reviews and such I will continue on with the story, and any following chapters will be longer than this one. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Crona blinked up at the laughing sun in the sky, which was set more to the west, indicating that it was the afternoon. All around the streets of France, people moved around, talking and laughing, going in and out of shops and restaurants. Crona stood with several bags in one hand. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans and a long sleeved black shirt. The new clothes were still a bit uncomfortable and difficult to get used to, but he liked them. They were his, he had chosen them himself. That old bloody robe was balled up and in the bottom of a trash can, probably in a dumpster by now.

A smile crept across Crona's lips as he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It smells like sweets," he hummed as he began walking down the street again. "Do you feel like getting some crepes?"

Ragnarok had been apprehensive about this little journey at first, since Medusa's body was still carelessly strewn about that old house, but now he had grown excited about this newfound freedom. The demon emerged from Crona's spine, leaning down to rest on his head. "Crepes? Fuck that, let's get some wine!"

"I'm not old enough," Crona frowned, slightly confused if his statement was correct or not.

"Shut the hell up," the demon responded, punching the meister in the head. "This is France, you moron. Everyone here is allowed to drink wine! You have plenty of money after raiding the snake bitch's purse, so go ahead and get plastered like a man instead of shopping and eating crepes like some sissy girl!"

"I've never had wine before," the pink haired boy paused outside of a restaurant. "You think I'd like it?"

"It's like juice, only more delicious," Ragnarok informed him. "Make sure you save a glass for me! I'm going back in so we don't get any suspicious stares." And with that, he returned to Crona's bloodstream.

As it turns out, Ragnarok was right, they did serve wine to minors in France. Well, either that or the waitress didn't really care about Crona's age, and since he couldn't speak French, there was no arguing when he pointed to the bottle on the drink menu. Ragnarok was right about another thing; wine was delicious. Crona puckered his lips at the bitter sweetness of it, but overall, he liked it. And besides the wine, he also was able to get some crepes, like he wanted. Of course, he saved another order to go for Ragnarok once they were out of the restaurant.

It wasn't normal for the little demon to behave himself in public, but since the two of them were kind of well known around Europe for being killers, they thought it would be smart to not draw attention to themselves. The fact that Crona wanted to throw out his robe and wear something a bit less conspicuous helped with that as well.

"That was nice," Crona smiled to himself drunkly as he staggered to a street bench. He plopped down and opened up his to go container of crepes, holding them up for Ragnarok to swipe. The demon licked up the food in one bite and smacked his lips, pleased with the dessert. A few hiccups escaped Crona's throat, turning into giggles as they passed his lips.

"Oh great," Ragnarok flopped down on his meister's head. "Now you're drunk after a few glasses of wine, you fucking light weight." The demon rubbed the place between his own white eyes. "And since I'm your blood, I'm getting all dizzy too."

"This is fun, Ragnarok," Crona grinned up at the weapon as he slumped back on the bench. "We should do this again tomorrow." His eyes began to flutter closed.

"Ah, hold up shit face," Ragnarok pulled at the boy's pink hair, forcing his head up. "We can't sleep out here, we'll get mugged! We gotta find a place to stay for the night."

Crona glanced up as a flash of yellow caught his eye. A girl with long golden hair and sparkling eyes had just brushed past him. He watched as she greeted her friends, the group laughing and talking in French as they hugged each other. Crona blinked, stunned for a moment. That's what he wanted to do next, he wanted to see his friends.

"Ragnarok," Crona hummed. "Do you think you could do the wings?"

"You know that hurts like hell," the demon poked at his meister's cheek harshly. "And it makes me all dizzy and psycho. Where the hell do you wanna go anyways?"

"Nevada," Crona answered, still staring at the group of teenagers as they all entered a café together. "I want to go see Maka and all my friends again."

"Well we sure as hell ain't flying there," Ragnarok huffed, crossing his arms as he leaned on Crona's head. "You better find a boat, dumb ass."

A boat to America was easier to find than Crona thought it would be. He slept almost the whole way there, trying to stay away from the edge of the ship to avoid sea sickness, which Ragnarok was prone to. When they arrived in California, the boy's immediate plans to go to Nevada were interrupted by a certain demon weapon who insisted on something different.

"Crona!" Ragnarok pounded his fists on the meister's skull. "We have to go to fucking Disney World!"

"Wh-what?" Crona glanced up. "Disney World…what do you mean? Where is that?"

"So, you wanna go to Disney?" a stranger spoke in a loud voice.

Crona flinched at the sudden attention. The girl standing before him wore a black sports bra and baggy shorts. Her hair was cut above her shoulders and bleached blonde, a contrast against her tanned skin and piercing blue eyes. "Well?" she spoke to him again. "You wanna go? I've got nothing to do, so I'd be glad to go with you." She shrugged, a grin overtaking her face.

"Oh, um, th-that's not-" Crona stammered, only to be interrupted by Ragnarok again.

"Hell yes, let's go!" the demon shouted. "I wanna get wasted and eat a shitload of food and and go on roller coasters!" Croan cringed at the thought of a roller coaster, but stayed silent.

"Sounds good," the girl laughed. "I'm Mira, by the way."

"I'm C-Cr…Crona," he stammered, then glanced up to the demon resting on his head. "And th-this is Ragnarok."

"You two sure are odd," Mira raised an eyebrow, but smiled. "But you're both cute as hell." She reached up to pat Ragnarok's head and let out another gruff laugh.

Crona felt his cheeks flush a bright pink as he avoided the girl's eyes. Ragnarok, surprisingly allowed himself to be pat by Mira, even offering a grin as he stared down at her. "So, beach bitch, can we get going now?" the demon asked, clearly excited.

"Heh," Mira laughed at the nickname, then turned around to walk towards a bus stop. "Bus will be here in ten minutes!" She paused, turning to wink at the pair. "You coming or what?"

This place was so huge that Crona really did believe they had been dropped off in another world. Mira was their guide, pulling him roughly by the wrist through the check in gates, being sure to stop by a locker so he could put all his bags of clothes in it.

"We'll buy you a cool bag here to carry all your shit in," Mira insisted as she dragged him off to the shops.

Crona stared, blue eyes wide in disbelief and overstimulation. There was so much to see and so much to hear- so much to smell. That was when he realized he was hungry. He hadn't eaten since they had left France. Unable to speak due to his distraction, Ragnarok emerged and spoke for him.

"Hey, bitch!" the demon yelped, reaching for the girl's hair. "We're starving here, we haven't eaten since we got off that damn boat!"

"Oh, right!" Mira grabbed Ragnarok's paw and pulled on him, making the pair follow uncomfortably after her. She finally stopped at an area that contained dozens of restaraunts, maybe even thousands, Crona thought. "Okay," Mira gestured to the huge place. "Take your pick!"

Both boys had an obvious stream of drool leaking from their mouths. Crona knew that for once, the weapon would have to allow him to eat since there was no limit to their food right now. "Oh shit, if I only I had legs right now," Ragnarok finally spoke, then grasped onto Crona's ears. He steered the boy towards a Moroccan place first.

After traveling all over the place, eating from almost every restaurant, and visiting nearly every shop, Crona felt like he was going to collapse. Unfortunately, in his tired state, he didn't realize when Mira had pulled him into the line for a roller coaster ride. It wasn't until he was shoved into a seat and had a metal bar forced over his lap that he realized what was going on.

"Wh-wha…what is th-this?" Crona looked all around with wide, terrified eyes. Ragnarok slung his arms around the boy's neck in order to stay secure.

"It's a roller coaster," Mira turned to grin at him. "Your brother asked if we could go on it." She pointed a finger at the demon.

"Bu- he's n-not my br-brother," Crona stammered, trying to grasp the danger of this situation. All he could think of was how this mechanical cart would fly into the air or crash and burn, or how they might get trapped at the top of a big loop. He began to tremble terribly, his hands grasping onto the metal bar for dear life. "I-I don't know how to deal with this!"

"You'll be fine, I promise," Mira nodded to him. "I wouldn't do anything to put you in danger, okay?"

Just as Crona was about to respond, the roller coaster creaked to live, jerking them forward. The pink haired boy squeezed his eyes shut, his entire body shaking as his hangs clutched onto the metal bar for dear live. When he dared to peek an eye open, he saw nothing but a clear blue sky, the maniacal sun cackling away. He took in a deep breath, and when he let it out, it came out as a scream as the roller coaster raced downward at an alarming speed. Tears formed in his eyes, but as the ride went along, his screams turned into laughs, until finally they stopped.

"Crona? Hey, you okay buddy?" Mira poked his shoulder.

"Th…that…I-I…," Crona stammered, a blank look on his face until it finally broke out into a childish grin. "I wanna go again!"

Several more roller coaster rides and restaurants later, the sun had fallen asleep and the moon rose high in the sky. Mira lead Crona, almost against his will, out of the park, collecting all of his bags along the way. After flagging down a taxi, the two climbed in, and as they drove away, Crona stared back at the park. That was the first bit of freedom and fun he had ever experienced, and he didn't want it to end. But, he knew that it was only the beginning of his new life. This new life, he thought, where he could actually feel alive.

"Crona?" Mira poked his shoulder again. "Where we off to now? You got a place to stay?"

"I…um," Crona glanced over to her. "Nevada," he finally answered. "I have to go to Nevada."

"Oh, damn…well," Mira looked up as the cab finally stopped outside of an apartment building. "I've gotta head home." The girl smiled and offered a fist to the boy. "I had fun with you, Crona. Good luck on your adventure. Hopefully you'll come visit me sometime, yeah?"

"Um…sure," Crona smiled as he tapped his fingertips against the girl's fist. Mira offered another wave as the cab drove off again.

"So, all the way to Nevada, huh?" the cab driver asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Y-yeah…is that okay?" Crona asked timidly.

"As long as you got the money…," the man answered, slowing the cab down.

"Oh, y-yeah!" Crona reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, digging around for a couple big bills. He handed the cab driver a handful of hundreds. "Will this be enough?"

"Shit…yeah, sure thing kid!" the driver grinned as he grabbed the money and kept on driving. "I can drive all night, but we might have to stop a couple times. Lemme know if you get hungry or anything."

Crona nodded, knowing that he wouldn't be stepping out of the cab until they reached Death City. He leaned his head against the window, staring out at the California skies. This journey had only just begun, and he knew that freedom would offer much more to him in his future as well. For now, though, all Crona could think of was Maka and Death City. His eyes fluttered closed as he let out a pleasant sigh. _We'll be there soon…_

**A/N: Well, there ya have it! Chapter two! Hope you all liked it so far~ Next chapter, Crona arrives back in Death City...wonder what people will think of his return and the news that Medusa is dead? Reviews are much appreciated :) thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

_Death City_… Crona stared up at the desert city as it began to buzz to life. Shops started to open up for the day, people were headed off to work, and of course, weapons and meisters were all on their way to Shibusen for class. Still clad in his black shirt and jeans, the pink haired boy carried his bags through town, his eyes glued to his destination. He paused outside of the apartment door, staring at the little golden number 42 on it. This was Maka's apartment, one she shared with her weapon. There was still half an hour until classes started, so there was a chance that she was still here. Although, she often went to class early. Crona swallowed down the anxious lump in his throat as he raised a trembling hand to knock on the door, praying that she would answer.

"Yeah, just a sec!" Soul's voice called through the door. Crona felt his heart drop in his stomach. The white haired weapon wouldn't be very accepting or understanding, would he? Surely, he would take Crona into custody, or worse, try to kill him on the spot. Crona shook in his place, frozen with fear and unable to run away as the doorknob slowly turned and opened.

"What the…," Soul stared at him, mouth agape. "Crona? What the hell are you…" He trailed off, taking in the image of the pink haired boy who stood before him. Crona looked frightened, to say the least. He looked like he was about to cry as he stood there, silent and trembling. In his arms were inexplicably an array of bags from Disney World. "…you went to Disney world?"

Crona blinked away the tears that had formed in his eyes, finally finding his voice. "Wh-where's Maka?" he asked in a whisper.

"You just…dude, just get in here before someone sees you," Soul pulled him inside and shut the door, locking it as quickly as possible. Crona dropped his bags to the floor and gripped his arm nervously.

"Soul, who was at the d-" Maka froze as she walked into the room. "Is…is that…Crona?"

"Hi Maka…"

"Crona!" Maka slung her arms around the boy's shoulders, pulling him into a tight embrace. "Thank Death you're okay!" She pulled away, scrutinizing his face for a moment. "You are okay, aren't you?"

"I-I…," Crona stammered, unable to speak. Instead, he nodded his head vigorously.

"Good," Maka breathed a sigh of relief, then her expression twisted into one of anger as she raised a dictionary above her head. "Maka-chop!"

"Ow, why did you do that?" Crona cried, holding his hands over his head in attempts to stop the black blood from flowing out of the wound his friend had just inflicted.

"That's for making me worry about you!" Maka yelled as she crossed her arms. "And for…for going back to Medusa and for leaving us all behind and for killing all those people!" Crona flinched, guilt eating up his insides as he stared down at the ground. Maka let out a sigh again and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean it," she breathed. "It was all just so frustrating. Overall, I just missed my friend…"

"R-really?" Crona glanced up, trying to hold back the tears in his eyes.

"Of course," Maka smiled as she wrapped him in a hug again. "You're back and you're safe…that's all that matters."

"I'm so sorry," he breathed. Crona's body began to shake as he allowed tears to roll down his cheeks, sobs wracking his body as he clutched onto Maka for support. He felt truly at home now, more than he ever did with that witch. He paused, moving away from the girl to stare into her eyes. "I killed her," he breathed.

"Wh…what?" Maka blinked at him.

"I killed her…I killed Medusa," Crona's voice trembled as he gripped his arm, stepping back from her. He stared down at the ground, his eyes wide and full of fear. "I killed her and fed her soul to Ragnarok."

Maka and Soul simply stared, dumbfound at this news. Crona flinched as he felt the familiar heated prickling pain across his back as Ragnarok emerged. The demon was a bit larger than the two remembered, but still miniscule as he laid on his meister's head.

"Yeah, and it was delicious," the demon licked his lips and grinned. "So, tiny tits, nice to see you again."

At the insult, Maka snapped back to her senses, glaring at the tiny weapon. "That's- why you…," she began, but trailed off, looking to Crona again. He was still trembling and clutching his arm so tight, she was sure he was leaving bruises. "Crona," she sighed, placing her hands on his shoulders once again, forcing him to look at her. "It's okay Crona…what you did, it was good for you…you're finally free of her."

"I wonder, though," Soul shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked to the pink haired boy. "What was it that finally made you snap to your senses and stand up to her?"

Crona blinked, standing up straight again. "She…she hugged me," he answered simply. "And said I was a good child."

"Pretty fucked up, don't you think?" Ragnarok's eyes rolled around.

"I-I really don't want to talk about it anymore," Crona rubbed his arm, glancing back down at the ground.

"Well…we need to tell Lord Death," Maka straightened up and fixed her uniform. She turned to the door. "Soul, Crona…let's get going."

"My, my…this sure is a surprise," Lord Death tilted his head to the side as he stared at the pink haired meister who was currently hiding behind Maka. "Care to fill me in on how you got here?"

"Go on, Crona," Maka stepped aside, pushing her friend forward.

"Ah, um…uh," Crona stammered, staring up at Lord Death. His trembling hand grasped his arm in hopes to calm himself. "Y-you see, I…I-I sort of…well, I did, I mean…" He paused, letting out a sigh of defeat, then swallowed the anxious lump in his throat. "I killed Medusa."

"Oh my, what an accomplishment," the shinigami clapped his hands together. "And you're sure she's dead?"

"Y-yes, sir…," Crona nodded. "Ragnarok ate her soul…"

"Well done, then! And to think, I was about to put you on my list…"

"Wh-wha…," Crona stared up in shock at the reaper. Of course, this only made sense. Not too long ago, Crona had just gone on a killing spree, slaying dozens of men and feeding their souls to his weapon. He wondered if killing Medusa would somehow redeem him for his sins.

"But now that you're back again, I see no need to have you killed," Lord Death shrugged, offering an awkward grin on his masked face. "However, there must be some ramifications for your actions, of course. Now let's see…hm…Maka Albarn? What would you suggest?"

Maka blinked, stunned by this question. "Well, Lord Death, sir…," she struggled to think of a punishment that would be fitting, and yet would not harm or restrict her friend. She glanced at Crona, noting how shaky and nervous he clearly was. "You should…you should confiscate all of the souls he's collected…as well as Medusa's witch soul."

"Hm, interesting…," Death nodded. "I was planning on taking away all the human souls so as to lay them to rest. But confiscating Medusa's soul would be a good idea." The shinigami turned to Crona once more. "Alrighty then, I'll be taking all of the souls you've collected. I will not be allowing you to take back Medusa's soul once I take it. And furthermore…"

Crona froze, staring up at Lord Death, expecting the very worst to come now. Would he be banished? Sent to life in prison? Or worse…sentenced to be a permanent test subject for Stein… The boy shuddered at the thought.

"Crona," Lord Death continued. "You are forbidden to make a Death Weapon. That means no more collecting souls, understand?"

Crona breathed out a sigh of relief. "Y-yes sir, I understand, o-of course," he bowed his head, grateful of the miniscule punishment.

"Now then…you should be getting to class now before you're late," Death waved his oversized hands at them. "Go on, shoo!"

"W-wait…me too?" Crona pointed at himself with a trembling hand.

"Of course! You will be attending classes, won't you?" the shinigami leaned down to him. "I assume you want to see all your friends again. Also, I'd like to keep you somewhere safe where I can keep an eye on you. You will attend for the remainder of the semester. After that, I will give you the choice if you would like to return after summer break. Okay? Okay! Now go to class!"

Crona pulled the hood of his black sweatshirt over his messy pink hair, his eyes glued to the floor as he walked quickly behind Maka, watching her feet pat across the ground. He shoved his hands in his pockets and let out a small whine in protest once they reached the classroom door.

"Come on now, Crona," Maka urged, taking his hand. "Everything will be okay, I promise."

"But what if people are mad at me? What if they don't want me here?" he peeked up at her before quickly looking away again. "I don't think I could deal with that."

"Listen to me," Maka grasped his shoulders and forced him to stare into her serious emerald eyes. "You belong here, Crona. We all want you here because you're special and important to us. You're our friend, and this is your home. And if anyone, and I mean _anyone _tries to tell you otherwise, well…let's just say they won't be talking after I'm through with them. Okay?"

A small smile crept across Crona's lips as he nodded to her. Maka mimicked his smile then turned, keeping a firm grasp on his hand. Crona held his breath as he stepped through the door, still too afraid to look up. Before he knew it, he was sitting in his usual place, beside Maka. Soul was on her other side, and behind them was Tsubaki, in front of them was Kid, Liz and Patti. Black*Star was inexplicably nowhere to be seen, though one could guess he was probably caught up in a fight somewhere in the school. Everyone present, however, turned to stare at the hooded figure trembling beside Maka.

"Um…should I even ask?" Liz raised an eyebrow.

"It's…Crona," Kid's eyes widened as he recognized the trembling boy's soul. "But how…"

"Crona's back!" Patti leapt out of her seat to wrap her arms around the boy.

"Ah!" Crona flinched back, but was not free of the weapon's grasp. The hood fell from his head, revealing the messed pink hair falling around his eyes. Everyone stared in awe and realization that it really was Crona. Maka smiled, glancing at Soul who returned the smile with a nod.

Patti squeezed him tighter before finally letting him go, a huge grin on her face. "You're back!" she clapped her hands, then turned to her meister. "Oh Kid, we have to throw Crona a welcome home party!"

Crona let out a frightened squeak. "Th-that's really n-not necessary…," he muttered, slinking away from Patti. "I just…I-I just want things to go back to normal."

Kid raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing the pink haired meister as he trembled in his seat. The Reaper didn't seem too pleased by the return of Crona, and the obvious fact that his father had forgiven the boy for his sins. "Well," Kid sighed as he adjusted himself in his seat. "I suppose we should just let it be and see how things play out." He shrugged, though could not keep his suspicious gaze off of Crona. "Patti, return to your seat. Without you next to me, Liz is putting my symmetry off."

Liz glared at her meister, noting his obvious distaste, but her expression melted into one of indifference as she gazed back to Crona. "Well, it's good to have you back," she sighed, crossing her arms. "Everyone deserves a second chance, just like me and Patti got… Right, Kid?" The weapon gazed at him again.

"Yes, yes, of course," Kid let out a sigh as Patti returned to his other side. "And there will be no parties any time soon, understand?" Patti frowned, opening her notebook to doodle pictures of balloons and cupcakes, regardless.

Crona began to tremble, his hands clutching his arms and squeezing so tightly it cut off the circulation. "M-Maka…," he whispered, scooting closer to his friend. "Nobody wants me here…I think, m-maybe I should just go…"

"Don't be silly," Maka gave a reassuring smile as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Crona froze beneath her touch, but his trembling stopped. "People just need to get used to the fact that you're back. And you're back for good now." She squeezed his shoulder, her smile growing a bit brighter. "Everything will be okay, I promise."

Crona glanced back at Kid, flinching at his judgmental stare. He turned back to Maka and let out a shaky sigh. "If you say so…"

After class, as Crona began to walk towards the door, a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He paused, a shiver running down his spine, and turned to see Professor Stein staring down at him from behind the glare in his glasses.

"Crona," the professor's voice hummed, almost sounding intrigued rather than surprised to see the boy. "May I speak with you before you leave?"

Crona paused, turning to glance at Maka as if for approval. The girl gave him a nod and stepped out into the hallway, indicating that she would wait for him there. Cursing himself silently, the pink haired mesiter turned back to Stein, swallowing down the lump of anxiety in his throat before he spoke. "Y-yes, sir?" he breathed nervously.

"Lord Death informed me of the entire situation," Stein began. "And I want to say, I'm proud of you for being able to break free of Medusa's hold on you, as well as for capturing her soul and ridding any possibility of her returning once again."

A shiver ran down Crona's spine. Medusa always had some sort of way of coming back to life. She always squirmed and clawed her way back to the living world. But now that her soul was in the hands of Lord Death himself, it would be impossible for her to return.

"However," the professor continued, his expression turning grim. "Your return to Death City will not be taken as good news by many people. I'm sure your friends are relieved to have you back, and I assure you that myself and the other teachers are glad to have you back as well. But…well, you have to remember that you don't exactly have the best reputation."

Crona cringed as a pain of guilt struck his chest. He gripped his arm, staring down at the floor, trying to forget his past. It was impossible, though. Even now, he had nightmares and flashbacks of the times when he brutally murdered dozens of people in the blink of an eye. The fear in his victim's eyes as they begged for their lives to him, only to be sliced apart by the Demon Sword anyway. Crona was so wrapped up in madness and the fear of Medusa that those memories were cloudy, but they were still there. He would never forget…

"I expect many citizens of Death City won't be too happy about your return, and I know that a lot of students will be against you as well," Stein continued, pressing his glasses to his face. "But through it all, I urge you to stick close to your friends, especially Maka."

"I-I was planning on it," Crona mumbled, his face growing warm at the thought of Maka again.

"Maka's faith in you is the major reason why Lord Death allowed you to return with minimal punishment, actually," Stein spoke, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "So stick close to her. She's good for you, in the same way that Professor Marie is good for me. She'll neutralize the madness in your head, in your blood. With her by your side, you'll be fine."

"O-okay…thank you, professor," Crona nodded, his cheeks still painted a light pink from all the talk of being close to Maka. Of course he would stay close to her, she was his best friend, his first friend…quite possibly his only friend. He would always need her, always depend on her, and he was okay with that. Crona loved Maka more than anything in the world.

"Oh, and you'll have some catching up to do in class," Stein added while turning back to his desk. "I'm sure she can help you with that as well. Have a good day, Crona." He waved a hand as he sat back down in his chair and rolled across the room.

Crona simply nodded, then turned to walk back out in the hallway to find Maka. Just as promised, the girl was there waiting for him, a smile bright on her face. "Everything okay?" she hummed, rolling on the balls of her feet. She offered a hand to him, reminiscent to the very first time she asked him to be her friend.

"Y-yeah," Crona blinked, and a small smile graced his lips as he took her hand. He would hold that hand tightly and never let go, never let _her _go. He would be sure to never disappoint Maka again, to never make her sad or make her worry about him. She had spent so long protecting him, it was his turn to be just as strong for her. Crona squeezed her gloved hand tightly, his smile growing a bit wider as he stared into her eyes. "Maka…thanks for being my friend."

**A/N: Hope you all liked it. There is drama up ahead~! Reviews are much appreciated! :) and thank you again for reading my story~**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just a reminder/warning...there is a reason this fic is rated M. Obviously language is a big reason, but the other reason is ****_content. _****This issue presents itself in this chapter. Continue on if you're okay with that.**

The couch in Maka and Soul's apartment was possibly the most welcoming place Crona could imagine himself. He sat there, curled up with a tall glass of chocolate milk, his eyes glued to the television on the wall. Television was still a new device to the boy, and it intrigued him each and every time he experienced it. Right now, his favorite thing to watch was the history channel. Learning about the history of the world interested him so much, since he was unaware of most of the things he saw.

"Hey, Maka," Crona called, keeping his gaze on the documentary that was currently playing. "Did you know that this king in England a long long time ago made a new religion just so he could divorce his wife? His name was Henry…"

"Henry the eighth," Maka rolled her eyes as she glanced over at him from the kitchenette. "Possibly the worst man of them all."

"He killed people, too," Crona muttered, staring at the screen, enticed by the reenactment playing as blood spilt from a woman's chest.

Soul slowly reached over and picked up the remote, a cautious expression on his face. "Maybe…you shouldn't be watching this," he spoke calmly as he changed the channel. Brightly colored cartoons danced across the screen, and Soul nodded in approval. "That's better."

"H-hey!" Crona turned, his expression twisted into one of childish discontent. "I was watching that!"

"I don't think you should be watching people being killed by a king," Soul shrugged. "I don't want it to set you off or something…"

"I-it wouldn't-" Crona began to protest, but paused as he felt a pain across his spine.

"Gimmie that, shark face!" Ragnarok lunged at Soul, causing Crona to topple over onto the floor. The demon grabbed the remote and mashed down on the buttons until he found something he liked, which happened to be MMA fighting. "Yeah, that's more like it!"

"That's not much better than before," Soul glared at him.

"Ah, those men are all almost n-naked!" Crona blushed as he covered his face. "Ch-change it back Ragnarok, I can't deal with this!"

"What, afraid your ovaries might explode?" Ragnarok rolled his white eyes at the meister. "Just watch them beat the crap out of each other, it's awesome!"

Soul raised an eyebrow at Ragnarok's comment and a familiar question reentered his mind: was Crona a boy or a girl? Everyone had referred to the pink haired meister as being male, but Crona never actually confirmed or denied anything. Knowing Crona, if someone got it wrong, he wouldn't bother to correct them either. And out of anyone else, Ragnarok would be the one to know for sure what Crona's gender was.

"Okay boys, that's enough," Maka stood over them, snatching up the remote and flicking the television off. She placed her hands on her hips, an apron hanging around her neck and a scowl on her face. "No more television for any of you since you can't seem to agree on it. And besides, dinner is ready, so come and eat."

"Great, tiny tits cooked," Ragnarok grumbled. "The food's gonna taste like shit."

"M-Maka is a great cook," Crona glared at the weapon as he stood up and followed to the table. He sat down and smiled at the plate before him. He felt truly accepted and at home now.

"Hey, where's my plate, you fat ass bitch?" Ragnarok tugged on Crona's hair as he yelled. Soul glanced up at the pair again as he took his seat. There it was again, Ragnarok using a female based insult on Crona. Of course, that didn't really prove anything, but still, it was another clue…

"Ow, stop it!" Crona cried in protest. "Where would you even put a plate anyways? On top of my head? You would spill food in my hair and I don't think I could deal with that!"

"Calm down you two," Maka tapped Ragnarok's head with a wooden spoon. She held out a tray of tacos to the little black demon. "I made an extra dish, just for you. They're chicken tacos!" She smiled, proud of herself for cooking the meal.

Ragnarok licked up the entire tray of tacos, gulping it down and then letting out an obnoxious burp. "They were okay I guess," he rolled his eyes. The demon would never admit that they were absolutely delicious and he would have more if he weren't full. He retreated to his meister's bloodstream once again, leaving Crona in peace for the rest of the night.

"These really are good," Crona smiled at Maka as he finished his plate. "Ragnarok liked them, too."

"Yeah, not bad," Soul smirked, looking to his meister. He stretched back in his seat and let out a yawn. "I'm full and exhausted now, though. Probably gonna head to my room in a few."

Crona gripped his arm, staring down at his empty plate. He was planning on getting seconds, but now he had suddenly lost his appetite. "I…I guess…I'll just," he mumbled, trying to think of something to say. He wondered if his old room at Shibusen was still available for him, and he wished that he would have asked earlier. Where else was he supposed to go?

"Crona," Maka smiled, reading the boy's mind. "You can stay here tonight…and tomorrow. In fact, why don't you just move in?"

"Wh-what?" Crona blinked in shock at the question.

"You heard me," her smile grew as she stood up from her place. "Soul, you wouldn't mind, would you?"

"Um…well, where would he stay?" the weapon raised an eyebrow. Their apartment only had two bedrooms, both of which were occupied. "The place is already crowded enough when Blair is here…"

"Blair hasn't been home in a week," Maka rolled her eyes. "She's with her new boyfriend, remember?"

"The fish guy?" Soul huffed. "She'll be done with him in less than a month. Anyway…I guess it's fine if Crona stays here. But I am not sharing a room."

"That's fine, I'll share my room," Maka smiled, turning back to the pink haired boy. Crona's cheeks had turned a dark scarlet at the thought of sharing a room with his friend. Soul's eyebrow hitched up as he wondered how that would go. If Crona _was _a girl, it would make sense to share a room with Maka…

"Um, w-well, that's really okay, I-" he began to protest.

"No arguments," Maka shook her head, pigtails swaying across her face. "We can move the pull out couch in there for you, alright? And I'll clear some space in my closet for your stuff."

Crona kept his lips pressed together, since Maka forbid him from arguing. His cheeks were still painted a dark pink as the thought of sleeping in the same room as the girl kept reappearing in his mind. He wanted to tell her no, that he would sleep on the floor of the living room instead, or maybe even find a nice corner in the kitchen to curl up in. He wanted to tell her that she had been much too kind to him already, and that he didn't deserve anymore help. And he especially wanted to tell her that Ragnarok would most likely turn their little living arrangement into a fiasco, embarrassing everyone in the home and making the place a living hell. But instead, Crona stayed silent, only because Maka told him to.

That night, since everyone was too full and tired to move the couch, Crona slept in the living room. The television was on, playing the nature channel this time, with a program about penguins that the pink haired meister was enjoying. The volume was turned down low so that he would still be able to sleep. That is, hypothetically…Crona found it impossible to sleep at that moment with too many thoughts running through his mind.

_Am I really back in Death City? _Crona blinked, gazing out the window at the grinning moon as it ground its teeth together. _Am I really here…with Maka? Is everything back to normal? _He glanced around the apartment, flopping onto his back and finally settling his gaze on the ceiling fan. _Things are better than normal…_

With a small pain, Ragnarok emerged from Crona's chest, glaring down at the meister. "Things are _weird,_" he corrected the boy's thoughts. "You come back and get no punishment, go back to that school, and now you're living with tiny tits! Things are going too good, don't you think?" Ragnarok poked the meister's shoulder as he spoke.

"We did get a punishment," Crona frowned. "All the souls got taken away, remember?"

"Yeah, and I'm still pissed about it," the demon huffed, crossing his little arms. "I'm all small again…"

"You're still strong enough to hurt me, isn't that all you care about?" the pink haired boy blinked up to his weapon with wide eyes. "And anyway…I guess you're right. Things are kind of going too well…I expected worse."

"For once, you're right for expecting worse," Ragnarok pulled at the boy's cheek. "This means that the worst is yet to come, and when it does, it's gonna be a real shit storm. Everything is gonna come crashing down around you."

Crona's eyes filled with fear as dozens of scenarios ran through his mind. "Y-you really think so?" he mumbled, his hands trembling. He didn't need any reassurance from Ragnarok though; Crona knew that things were only bound to get worse after things had gone so smoothly. That was just his luck. Things could never be too good. Something always had to go wrong.

With a yawn, Ragnarok retreated back into Crona's bloodstream, going to sleep for the night. Crona was left alone with his thoughts and the silent television showing videos of penguins sliding across a patch of ice and into the chilling ocean. After another hour of distracting his wondering mind with the nature channel, Crona felt too restless to sit still any longer. Since Ragnarok was asleep, he knew the weapon would not protest if he went for a walk.

The outside air was chilling, and the moon up above began to drip blood through its grinding teeth. A bad omen, Crona thought, but he decided to go out regardless. As he walked down the empty streets, his wondering mind only wondered further. He thought of how only a week ago, he was killing people in Europe, guided by Medusa, and now…now he was back in Death City and Medusa was dead. Besides that, he was living with his best friend. Everything seemed to change so drastically. But, just as Ragnarok predicted, things would not stay so peaceful for very long.

Approaching the pink haired meister was a group of three boys, not much older than Crona. They might have been students, and they probably were. More importantly, they were loud and obnoxious and they smelt like alcohol and bile, and Crona held his breath and kept his eyes down as he passed them. Or rather, he tried to pass them. He was stopped by one of the boys ramming his shoulder into his own. Crona turned, keeping his gaze at the ground, as he muttered an apology.

"Hey…check out what we have here…it's that witch's kid," one of the boys stated as he pointed a finger at Crona. "The Demon Sword."

Crona froze, hoping that the drunken teens would simply move on. Unfortunately, they all turned to stare at him, scrutinizing his face and nodding in agreement. Suddenly, he remembered what Stein had told him the day before…the citizens and students weren't going to be happy about his return. As it turns out, he was horribly correct in his prediction…

"Oh yeah," another snarled. "That asshole who almost became a kishin and then was somehow forgiven by Lord Death…_twice._"

"And what the fuck makes you so special, huh?" another took a wobbly step towards him, clenching his fists. "You somehow cozy up to all of the teachers and get sympathy…you're so pathetic. You worthless shit."

"You know my sister is still crying herself to sleep over the death of our uncle," the first boy glared, seemingly the most sober of the group. "One of the many men you killed…you disgusting trash."

Crona paused, staring at the four as they approached him. His heart pounded loudly in his chest, fear and adrenaline pumping through his veins, and yet he found himself unable to move. Maybe this was supposed to happen...maybe he deserved this. A fist connected with his face. Yes, he definitely deserved this…for all the killing he's done, for betraying Shibusen and all of Death City. Another fist was shoved at his stomach. Another hit his ribcage. Still, Crona didn't move. He simply slumped against the dumpster behind him for support.

_"Alright, that's enough!" _Ragnarok was yelling at the boy inside his head; the noise outside must have woken him up. _"Damn it Crona, fight back! You could kill these punk kids easy!" _

"No," Crona muttered painfully. "I can't fight them…I don't want to hurt anybody."

"Who the fuck is he talking to?" one of them glared as he balled up his fists again.

"Probably himself…crazy fag," the boy next to him mumbled.

"Hey…is the freak a guy or a girl?"

"Let's find out," the first one grinned as he stepped closer.

Crona's eyes widened, filling with fear. _No…please, no…not that… _He stood up as straight as he could and tried to back away, though only succeeded in pressing his back further against the dumpster.

"Hey bitch, what are you so scared of?" He grabbed Crona's shirt and tugged roughly. It ripped, exposing his flat stomach, which was littered with scars. The gang didn't seem to notice or care about the scars, though. They were focused on the curvature of his hips, which were an indefinitely feminine feature.

"Sure as hell looks like a girl…," the one beside him grinned. "I'm gonna teach her a lesson the best way a guy can."

Crona squeezed his eyes shut, praying for some sort of relief from this nightmare. _I can't let them do that to me…I can't… _Finally, he gave in to Ragnarok's persistent calling and held his hand out, allowing the demon sword to appear. "P-please…go away," he called in a small voice, holding the sword defensively. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh you got it wrong, freak," he laughed. "We're the ones who are gonna hurt you."

"And if you even try to fight back, you'll be hunted down like the filthy witch that you are!"

Crona's hands shook, struggling to hold tight onto the demon sword. He knew that this was true, he couldn't hurt them or kill them. If he did anything wrong, Lord Death would lock him up, or worse, put him on his list of kishin egg souls to kill. But still, he couldn't allow himself to continue being abused by these guys. Especially with what they were about to do now… "P-please, just go! Leave me alone!" Crona yelled, his voice echoing around the streets. Another hand grabbed his ankle, causing him to fall to the hard ground. He screwed his eyes shut, hearing the boys yell profanities at him and laugh as they tugged at his clothes, pulling and punching him as he struggled.

"That's enough!" a voice rang out. That voice…the voice of his savior. The hands disappeared, and Crona opened his eyes to see Maka standing before them. The boys had backed away, recognizing the two star meister and member of Spartoi, her scythe in her hands, glinting in the moonlight. "Get out of here, before I change my mind about letting you go," Maka yelled to them. Instantly, the gang scattered, stumbling as they ran away. Soul transformed back into his human form, leaning back as he gave a concerned glance to Crona.

"R-Ragnarok…it's okay n-now," Crona whimpered as he released the demon sword, allowing it to return to his bloodstream.

"Crona," Maka knelt down to help him up. "Are you okay?" Her fingers grazed across his cheek, which was sore from the punch it had taken. Her gaze traveled down to his ripped shirt and the dozens of scars littered his pale skin. "Oh god…what did they do to you?" Maka's voice shook. Soul winced at the sight of the scars, turning away as it made him uncomfortable.

Crona flinched, pulling away from her grasp. "Th-those were there before," he muttered as he crossed his arms around his exposed skin. "I'm okay, r-really…they were just hitting me. I was just afraid that I would…I-I didn't want to hurt them, Maka…I really didn't…I was so scared that I would lose control of myself a-and…" He trailed off, tears forming in his dark grey eyes as he stared down at the ground, afraid to look at his friend.

Ragnarok emerged from Crona's spine, twisting around to gaze at Maka. "This fucked up city," he glared at her as if what had happened was somehow her fault. "This damn city with it's stupid academy full of prissy do-gooders. I'm sick of it! And look what happened, it almost got Crona raped! Fuck if I let shit like this keep on happening." The demon swiveled back around to place his hands on either side of Crona's face, squishing his cheeks together. "If anyone messes with you, it's _me_. I won't have anyone else picking on you, Crona."

"Ow, stop it," Crona muttered weakly. "They punched my face, stop pushing on it…"

"You're _my _meister! _My _punching bag, you got it?!" Ragnarok yelped again, tugging on Crona's hair.

Soul frowned, leaning over to Maka as Ragnarok continued to pester his meister. "Hey, Maka…," he whispered. "Were they really…I mean, you think they would've, ya know…done _that _to Crona?"

Maka bit her lip, clearly uncomfortable by the question. "I don't want to think about it," she finally answered, clenching her hands into fists. "The thought of anyone hurting Crona at all…those punks are lucky I let them out of here alive."

"Now smile, you sad sack!" Ragnarok tugged on Crona's cheeks, pulling them upward into a twisted sort of smile. "Come on you little emo freak, smile already! Do it cuz I said so!"

"Ow, okay oka- haha, s-stop it Ragnarok!" a small giggle escaped Crona's throat. Maka and Soul froze, staring at the pair in shock. Ragnarok was poking at a spot on his meister's neck, making the pink haired boy squirm and giggle. Finally, Crona pushed the demon's hands away, all while biting his lip to suppress his laughter. Soul smirked at the sight; who knew Crona was so ticklish?

"That's better," Ragnarok huffed, crossing his arms. "Not shut the hell up and stop letting people push you around, damn it." He knocked a tiny fist into Crona's skull. "Except for me! Got it?"

"Y-yes, Ragnarok," Crona smirked up at the demon. Ragnarok gave another tug to his hair before retreating back inside him. The meister turned, blushing slightly as he saw Maka and Soul staring at him. "Um…he d-doesn't like when someone else hurts me…"

Maka blinked. "Yeah, I…I noticed," she said, walking towards him. She took in Crona's image again. He was still all beaten and torn up, but at least he had a smile on his face now. A small smile tugged at her own lips as she reached for Crona's hand. "I won't mention it to his face, but it's nice to know that Ragnarok is on your side."

"Y-yeah…he always has been, he just has his own way of showing it," Crona blinked up to her as he took her hand. Tears began to form in his eyes, pushing away the smile that was on his face. "M…Maka…" The boy collapsed into her arms, letting out his fears in sobs on her shoulder. Maka wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly and consoling him.

"Eh…," Soul hung back, looking away from the two. This sort of thing made him uncomfortable, and he couldn't help but think about how Crona's sobbing was incredibly uncool. He decided then that Crona must have been a girl. Only girls cry that much, right? Soul shoved his hands in his pockets. "Hey, uh…we should get home…before something else goes bad out here," he called to them.

"Come on, Crona," Maka hummed as she squeezed his hand. "Let's go home."

Crona sniffled, wiping the tears away from his face. "Home," he mumbled, the word feeling strange as it left his lips. And yet, that's what Maka was to him now. That was a place that they shared, a place where he could go to be safe…home. It was his home, just as much as it was hers. This was it, this is what it felt like…to be safe, to belong somewhere…to be at _home._

**A/N: Wow that was my longest chapter yet. I've just been so inspired to write this story since I'm actually getting feedback from people. Thanks again for reading, and as always, reviews and any kind of feedback, good or bad, is always appreciated! Thanks!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's chapter 5! Also, starting now, I will be updating every Friday. **

**To answer a few questions I have received:**

**1. Yes, Ragnarok is tiny. He had all his souls confiscated, which means he is small.**

**2. This story follows the Soul Eater manga, up to the point where Crona kills Medusa. Sorry if you can't really follow along to some parts if you're more familiar with the anime, but I strongly suggest reading the manga (in my opinion, it's so much better). You can read it for free online, just look it up to find it :)**

**3. Yes, Ragnarok has a rather protective and possessive nature over Crona. Crona is Ragnarok's meister, punching bag, and source of life! Without Crona, he could not live. **

**4. Yes I do ship CroMa, but I'm not sure if I'll make it a cannon ship in this story. There may be hints at it, maybe even a bit of chemistry between the two, but I don't want this to be a love story. This story is mainly about Crona's life and freedom. (though there is a freedom to get involved with Maka...so maybe ;) )**

**Well that's all for now~ enjoy chapter 5!**

Crona never had the best of luck. In fact, he knew that things were going too smoothly since he had killed Medusa. First he had a great time in France, then he made a new friend in California and even went to a theme park and had fun on a roller coaster, and once he arrived in Death City, he was forgiven and taken in by his best friend. Even now, living with Maka, was too much of a good thing to even endure. And even after that incident a few nights ago, getting beaten up on the street by some punk kids, had turned into something good. Those kids had been identified and caught, then suspended from Shibusen. As it turns out, they really were students. Everyone seemed to sympathize for Crona, and the word even began to spread that Maka had protected Crona from being assaulted.

Of course, this all goes back to Crona not having good luck, right? So, there's the problem…for some reason, out of that whole incident, a new question had arose within all the buzz about Crona. And when rumors spread and twisted into lies, those questions were even more enticing. And unfortunately for the pink haired meister, who was anxious and timid enough as it was, these questions only made his life worse.

"So…have you taken Crona to see a doctor?" Tsubaki whispered to Maka. The two girls were walking down the hallway together, headed towards the mission board to see if there were any interesting kishin egg missions to take that required a team of two meisters and weapons.

Maka frowned, clearly confused, as she glanced to her friend. "What do you mean?" she asked. "The bruises have healed already. Surprisingly, Ragnarok can heal bruises as well as flesh wounds. Nothing to worry about."

"No, I mean…the other thing they did," Tsubaki lowered her voice even more. "You should really take Crona to a doctor to make sure everything is okay after…_that_."

"What are you…," Maka's brow furrowed when she figured out what Tsubaki was talking about, and she crossed her arms. "Seriously, you too with the rumors? Crona did not get raped by those guys."

"I-I didn't know, I'm sorry!" Tsubaki waved her hands in front of herself defensively. "It's just…that's what Black*Star told me…I figured he must have heard it from Soul, but I guess if it's not true, then…"

"No, it's not true. That's just a rumor, and I'm sick of hearing it," Maka glared at the students that passed them in the hallway. "People need to mind their own business and not spread things around unless they know what they're talking about."

"Maka…it did get me thinking though," the weapon frowned as she leaned in closer. "Is Crona a girl or a boy?"

"Wh-what do you…," Maka began, startled that once again, Tsubaki of all people was asking this question. There had been countless others come up to her in the past few days since the incident, asking that same question. The meister cleared her throat, placing her hands on her hips. "And why should it matter? It's not the shape or form that counts, it's the soul. And Crona happens to have a beautiful soul. So that's all that matters." She glared around at the few eavesdroppers. "Got it?!" The crowd moved on, and Tsubaki gulped, afraid of enraging her friend about this topic again.

"So then…what really happened?" Tsubaki asked as the two started walking again. She paused once they reached the message board, staring ahead as someone stood in their view of the posts. That someone was none other than Crona himself. Tsubaki blushed as she looked away, embarrassed of her mistake in believing the rumor about him.

"Crona…what are you doing?" Maka approached her friend, followed timidly by Tsubaki.

Crona jumped at the sudden closeness of the girl, taking a step back as he tried to ignore the obvious blush forming on his cheeks. "O-oh, um…it's nothing," he mumbled, rubbing his arm nervously. "I just…I was thinking…even though I'm not allowed to collect souls, I can still go on missions, right? I mean…I can help get rid of kishin eggs, as long as I give the souls to other weapons and not my own…"

"So like, partner missions," Tsubaki chimed, a nervous smile forming on her lips. "That's just what Maka and I were about to look for."

"That's right," Maka nodded. "And Crona, you can always come along on any mission with Soul and me. It doesn't have to be a partner mission."

Crona's eyes seemed to light up. "Th-thanks," he smiled shyly. "Um…well, would it be okay if I went on one with y-you both? I-I mean, only if it's alright…"

"Of course!" Maka smiled brightly. Tsubaki beside her nodded in agreement. "We'll find a mission to go on and then I'll let you know about it later, okay?"

"Y-yeah, okay," Crona smiled at the two girls. He gave them a small wave goodbye and gripped his arm as he walked away. Helping out with a mission would make him feel useful, as well as prove his loyalty to Shibusen and to Lord Death. Crona didn't care about fighting or getting stronger, not in the physical sense anyway…he wanted to prove himself as a person. A group mission would be the perfect opportunity.

"People are talking about you," Ragnarok poked at his meister's face.

"That's nothing new," Crona mumbled as he closed the bedroom door behind him. He had officially moved in to Maka's room now. Sleeping was still a difficult task with the girl in the same room as him, and since Crona rarely slept normally, he was bordering no sleep at all in the past few days. Maka had caught notice of this and started sending him to bed an hour before she even set foot in her own room. That, and she wanted him to have some privacy. Well…as much privacy as Crona could have with a weapon sticking out of him half the time.

"They're not saying cool things though," Ragnarok huffed, leaning down on the boy's head as he spoke. "Normally they say stuff about how many people you've killed or how many human souls you fed me or how you're a crazy ass powerful witch-"

"That one does annoy me," Crona mumbled as he glared up at the weapon. "I'm not a witch…"

"Anyways, dip shit," Ragnarok continued. "People are spreading rumors about you."

"I-I know," Crona bit his lip, trying to ignore it. He opened up the drawer with his clothes in it and pulled out some long black silky pants and an oversized grey hoodie. He paused, glancing up at Ragnarok. "Could you go in for a minute?" he asked, then added, "Please?"

The demon rolled his white eyes dramatically before complying and returning to his place inside. Crona pulled off his shirt, glancing up at the mirror above the dresser. His torso was covered with scars, most of them old and faded, most of them from his childhood. There was one large, dark scar down his abdomen, from the very first time he fought Maka and Stein. The scar was made by Stein wielding the Death Scythe Spirit. Crona ran his fingertips over the scar, shivering at the memory as it flashed back in his mind. That day felt so long ago, and yet he could somehow remember it so well.

Crona blinked himself out of his memories and quickly changed into his sleep clothes. He flinched as Rangarok reemerged and tugged on the meister's hair. "Are you gonna get all emo depressed every time you look at that thing," the demon asked, slightly annoyed.

"I-I don't get depressed," Crona glared at him. "I just…you know I don't like them."

"The scars are cool," Ragnarok rolled his eyes. "You and me both know you just don't like _you_. And hell, I don't blame ya, you skinny little fuck." The demon rubbed his fists into Crona's ribcage, easily pressing onto the prominent bones beneath his skin.

"Ow, stop it!" he pushed the weapon's hands away. Crona tried to blink the tears away from his eyes, but it was nearly impossible. Ragnarok was right; Crona didn't like himself at all. His body was so…_messed up. _That was the only way he could put it. His ribs were visible through his skin, his hips curved out, he was tall and lanky, and he never liked the way his neck looked. His hair was always a mess…and those circles under his eyes never seemed to go away. And then there was the scars…each one holding a memory, each one more painful than the last. Not to mention the black blood in his veins, or the fact that he knew a few of his organs were missing from his body.

A tear rolled down his cheek. Crona bit his lip so hard that a bit of black blood trickled out between his teeth. That was another thing…he cried way too much. Crona hated it, but he couldn't help it. Crying felt so good. It was an expression of emotion, and one of the healthier methods of releasing emotions that he had come across. There were other things, too…physical things that he was embarrassed and ashamed to even think about, things that only himself and Ragnarok knew about. Crona shivered, clutching onto his arm as he shuffled over to his bed. That was what made those rumors so hurtful to think about…

"Come on, damn it, stop crying," Ragnarok rolled his eyes. "Ya know at least you're not ugly." The demon whacked the side of his meister's head.

"Y-you really mean that?" Crona blinked up at him in surprise.

"Yeah, you're a-fucking-dorable. At least Maka and all the other chicks think so," Ragnarok tugged at his hair. "You've got that whole helpless little baby thing going for you. Ladies go nuts for your whole innocent act, too."

A small smile crept across Crona's face. "Th-thanks…," he muttered, hugging himself. Any compliment from Ragnarok, even if it was twisted and wrapped in an insult, was always reassuring. His partner would never lie to him about something like this.

Ragnarok rubbed down on Crona's hair. "So anyway, those rumors-"

The smile faded from Crona's lips and he reached up to wipe away the tears from his eyes. "I really don't want to talk about it…"

"Shut up and listen!" he persisted. "What if we say that you found them and kicked their asses!"

"B-but that's not true," Crona frowned. "Besides, they got suspended from Shibusen…"

"Yeah, yeah, but what if-" Ragnarok began, only to be cut off by a knock at the door.

"Can I come in?" Maka called through the door, her voice sounding urgent.

"Yes, come in," Crona stood up and gripped his arm nervously.

The door swung open and Maka rushed inside, closing the door behind her. She let out a heavy sigh as she slumped against the door, rubbing her palms against her eyes. Crona frowned, approaching the girl slowly.

"A-are you okay, Maka?" he asked, clearly concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine…," she sighed as she looked up to him. "It's just that…Blair is back. She broke up with her boyfriend, and, well…she's not too happy." Maka stood up and turned to secure the lock on her door. "So we will be hiding out from her until tomorrow…hopefully by then her little tantrum will be over."

Crona blushed as he stared at the lock on the door. It was going to be him and Maka, alone, in a locked room all night. He swallowed down the anxious lump in his throat as the grip on his arm got a little bit tighter. Ragnarok tugged on the boy's hair. "Get in her pants!" the demon whispered before disappearing inside him again. This only made the blush on Crona's cheeks burn a darker shade of scarlet.

Maka had flopped down on her bed face first, burying her face in her pillow as she let out another sigh. She turned her head to gaze at Crona. "Anyway, Tsubaki and I sighed up for a mission," she smiled slightly. "We'll be leaving tomorrow after school, so be ready, okay?"

"O-okay," Crona nodded as he sat nervously on his own bed. He stared down at the ground, rubbing his arm. "Hey, M-Maka…um, about what people are saying about me…" He trailed off, biting his lip to dispel the anxiousness in his chest.

Maka sat up and stared at him. "Crona, just ignore it," she said firmly. "People are going to talk and spread rumors no matter what. The best thing you can do is just ignore it. Besides, people will be talking about someone else soon enough." The girl rolled her eyes. "Even today I heard rumors about Kim and Ox…"

"If you say so," Crona muttered, not quite believing it.

"I do say so," Maka nodded. She stood up from her bed and patted across the room to sit beside him. Crona's body went ridged as he felt Maka's warmth beside him. She was sitting so close, he could feel her breathing, her chest moving up and down… He gripped his arm a bit tighter as he stared down at the ground. "Crona," she hummed, her hand finding his. She forced his fingers to release their hold on his arm. "Can I…ask you something?"

Crona wanted to say no, run away and hide from whatever question it was. However, because it was Maka asking, he knew he had no choice. He couldn't deny Maka anything, not even the answer to a pressing question. "Y-yes, Maka?" Crona muttered, still refusing to look at her. His hand trembled in hers, but she held it tight.

"Well, first…," she began. "Are you okay? From the other night, those guys…"

"Yes, I'm okay," Crona nodded honestly. It was true; he wasn't even bruised anymore. He knew that she was asking if he was okay emotionally, though. "It doesn't bother me…Professor Stein told me that people wouldn't be happy about me coming back…I guess he was right… Anyways, I-I'm just glad I didn't hurt any of them…then I would really be in trouble."

Maka's hand squeezed his tightly. "You wouldn't be in trouble for defending yourself, Crona," she assured him. "What those guys did was wrong…and what they were saying, it was disgusting…are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Crona muttered. "Besides, I've heard worse."

A long silence hung between the two. Crona counted how many times his heart thumped against his chest and how many times Maka breathed in and out. He bit his lip and stared at the ground, concentrating on the dark grey carpet. Finally, Maka broke the silence.

"Crona," she breathed, almost a whisper. "I have another question…and you don't have to answer if you don't want to… Those scars…where did they come from?" She looked up at him, her emerald eyes full of concern.

Crona squeezed his eyes shut, wishing the world away. Still, he knew he had to answer…he had to answer because it was Maka who asked. "Some of them…," he began, his voice shaking almost as much as his hands were. "Some of them were from Medusa…sh-she did a lot of…operations on me…b-black blood and stuff like that…and other stuff…" He trailed off, not wanting to get into _that _at the moment. "Um…some are from f-fights…people I killed trying to fight back…" A guilty pain stung his chest as he remembered the hundreds of frightened people clawing at him in an attempt to stop him from killing them. That wasn't the worst of it, though…

"Some of them…some are from m-myself," Crona whispered, closing his eyes tight. "I d-did't know how to deal with things…s-so I would…" His hand squirmed in Maka's, trying to get free. She refused to let go, though, and he wasn't sure why. Crona half expected to feel the pain of a dictionary on his skull, or to even hear her yelling at him about how he shouldn't hurt himself. Instead, he felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around him, enveloping him in a loving embrace. Crona froze, his eyes snapping open to stare down at the girl holding him tightly.

"Crona…I wish I could have known you years ago," Maka confessed as she held on to him. "I would have killed Medusa then and there, I would have taken you away so you could be safe."

"It…it's not your fault, Maka…really, it's okay," Crona blinked in shock, placing a hand on the girl's head as if to comfort her.

Maka straightened herself and offered a small smile to the boy. "I guess…I'm just glad you're okay now," she nodded. "I'm really happy that you're my friend, Crona."

Crona paused, his mind processing what he had just heard. _She _was happy to be his friend? A smile broke out across his face. "Maka…," Crona hummed, reaching for her hand to hold it tightly. "You becoming my friend is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

**A/N: As always, reviews are much appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: It was so difficult for me to wait to post this chapter, because personally I love it. I hope you all like it too! Now, to answer a few more questions I've received:**

**1. Yes, as always, Crona's gender is a pressing issue in the Soul Eater fandom. However, bringing it to the characters' attention is a great way to stir up drama, which is what I intend on doing! Please make note that personally, I believe that Crona can be either male, female, both or neither. However, writing Crona as a male is what is easiest for me to do. **

**2. I'm using the term CroMa-nce from now on, thank you so much xD **

**3. Thank you to everyone who sent reviews saying that they love this story! It seriously makes me so happy to be writing for other people to enjoy as well. **

**Okay, here's chapter 6! Thanks again for reading, and as always, more criticism, feedback, and reviews are much appreciated! **

_It hurts… _Crona cringed away, turning his body sideways as black blood dripped down his arm from the cut on his shoulder. Maka and Black*Star had stepped in between Crona and the kishin egg towering before them. The blue haired assassin was currently circling around the kishin egg, leaving it confused and dizzy, as Maka charged forward with scythe in hand, ready to strike. Crona stepped back, stumbling and falling to the ground with a thud. He winced again, dropping the demon sword in order to clutch his shoulder. The sword dissipated and returned as blood to his body.

"Ragnarok," Crona breathed heavily, growing impatient. "Can't you heal this already?" He blinked back up to the battle going on in front of him. It was almost over, one more good swing from Maka and- there it was, the kishin egg's head was chopped clear off.

"Yeah, yeah, calm down," Ragnarok piped. "I'm all dizzy from you losing all that blood you moron. Why did you let yourself get hit?!"

"He was going to attack Maka," Crona frowned, staring at the puddle of black blood seeping into the dirt. "I couldn't let that happen…besides, you can heal it, right? It'll be fine." He winced again at the pain. Just because cuts weren't fatal to him, they still hurt just as bad. And the longer Ragnarok took to heal them, the more they hurt. Sometimes the demon would wait longer on purpose, to torture Crona. This time, though, he wasn't doing it on purpose. Ragnarok being so small and weak limited his powers. Healing big cuts like this took a while, especially with ones like this that were so deep, cutting into muscle and even grazing bone. Crona screwed his eyes shut for a few seconds. _It hurts!_

"Just another nasty scar," Ragnarok sang as he began to close up the wound. Crona winced again, glancing down at his shoulder. Where he could previously see black blood pouring over muscle, there was now a dark scab closing over his skin. A day from now, it would be nothing more than a scar. "Now what do you say?!"

"Thank you, very much," Crona answered automatically, not paying much attention to the wound anymore. He stood up and looked to Maka and Black*Star, as well as Tsubaki and Soul who had just transformed back to their human selves.

"Once again, the almighty _Black*Star_ has demolished this tiny kishin!" Black*Star yelled to seemingly nobody as he clutched the glowing red soul in his hand. "How pathetic, how easy! I could have done it all on my own! Tsubaki!"

"Yes?" the weapon paused her clapping to step towards her meister.

"Enjoy your prize! Hahaha!" Black*Star shoved the soul to her face. Tsubaki was startled at first, but took it, bowing gratefully before eating it. "That's seventy three souls now, Tsubaki, only a few more until you're a Death Weapon!"

Soul slapped his hand onto the blue haired meister's shoulder, offering a sarcastic grin. "Wow, you're really starting to catch up to me, I'm impressed," he laughed.

Black*Star paused, stunned for a moment before turning to the weapon. "I know, you _think _you're pretty big, but you know that I'm the biggest star there is!" he yelled, regaining his confidence as he laughed in Soul's face. The two began to go back and forth while Tsubaki stood by, trying not to laugh at the scene.

"Crona," Maka crossed her arms, standing over the boy.

Crona flinched back, startled by the displeased expression on his friend's face as she glared at him. He quickly stood up, still holding on to his injured shoulder as it continued to heal at an alarmingly quick rate thanks to the black blood. "Y-yes Maka?" he asked, taking a shy step backwards. "Are you okay?"

"If I had a book with me, it would be embedded in your skull right now," Maka stated as she stepped forward to close the space between them. "What you did was idiotic…jumping in front of me like that. I would have guarded with Soul."

"I didn't want you to get hurt…I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking Maka, please don't be mad at me," Crona rubbed his arm nervously. He bit his lip to stop himself from saying any more…to stop him from saying that he wanted to protect her, that he always wanted to protect her, from anything… A sharp pang of jealously ran across his chest as her words rang through his head. _I would have guarded with Soul. _Soul. Soul was always the one who protected Maka. Soul protected Maka from the madness, from the black blood, from dozens of countless enemies. Soul protected Maka from Crona.

A light grey cloud hazed over Crona's eyes as he stared down at the ground, his expression void of emotion. "Well, you're okay, aren't you?" he hummed mindlessly. "That's all that matters…"

"But you got hurt," Maka frowned, a sliver of anger still in her tone. She reached a hand up to the cut on Crona's shoulder, noticing that it had almost completely scarred over now. "Well, at least Ragnarok healed it…"

"He always does," Crona took a step back, away from the girl's touch. It burned, like acid, and he didn't know why.

"As long as everyone's alright," Tsubaki called, smiling to everyone. "Why don't we all get something to eat now?"

Crona jumped suddenly as he remembered something important. "Y-you guys go ahead, I'm not hungry," he waved his hands in the air, taking a few steps backwards. His escape was interrupted by a prickling heat across his spine, followed by Ragnarok's fists pounding on his skull.

"You dumb ass, of course you're hungry! More importantly, _I'm _hungry!" Ragnarok yelled with each punch to the meister's head. He began to pull on Crona's hair, eliciting a pained squeak from the boy.

"Ow, stop it!" Crona cried, tears of pain forming in his eyes as he tried to push the demon's hands away. "We can eat later, okay? I have something I have to do, remember?!"

The rest of the group stared, dumbfound at the awkward and yet somehow comical display. Soul rubbed his neck as he turned away. "Alright, see ya at home, Crona," the weapon waved a hand.

"Ah!" Crona yelped as he finally managed to push Ragnarok away, though the demon pulled out fistfuls of his pink hair in the process. Ignoring the pain, he glanced back at the group, waving a hand as he walked away. "Y-yeah, bye!" Crona rushed off to the train station in order to get back to Death City.

Maka frowned, staring after the pink haired boy as he ran off. Tsubaki stood beside her, a look of concern on her face. "Did I do something wrong?" she blinked to Maka in question.

"No…Crona is just being Crona," Soul shrugged. "Just leave it alone, we'll see her later. Now come on!"

"Girls are so ridiculous," Black*Star laughed, slapping a hand on Soul's shoulder. "Why do we gotta put up with 'em?"

Maka turned, pigtails swishing across her face which had now twisted into an expression of fury. A mad fire burned in her eyes as she approached the two boys. Tsubaki cringed and turned away once she saw Maka's hands curl into fists. She didn't need to look to know what was about to happen. The weapon girl stared after Crona, whose figure was nothing more than a pink dot in the crowd of people in the town.

Crona stared up at the strangely stitched up building as a hand grasped his arm. Luckily, Ragnarok had agreed to stay quiet after the meister bought him a huge piece of chocolate cake from a bakery on the way there. Now at least Crona could focus on what he was supposed to do. He raised a trembling hand to knock on the door, then stepped back, awaiting the crazed professor Stein to answer. As the door swung open, however, he was greeted by a tall blonde woman who wore a warming smile.

"Crona! How nice to see you again," Marie welcomed him inside and beckoned him to sit on the couch.

"Hello Miss Marie," Crona smiled to her. He could feel the woman's warming presence radiate through the room, helping to calm his nerves. His hands didn't even shake when he received the cup of tea from Marie.

"Franken told me that you would be stopping by today for some tests," she spoke as she sat across from him, her own cup of tea in hand. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, um….y-yes," Crona nodded, suddenly feeling nervous again. He sipped from the tea, ignoring the bitterness of it, and blinked back up to her. "I mean…th-there's just a few things h-he wants to look at…" _Hopefully none of those things are my internal organs… _A shier ran down the boy's spine, and gripped his arm in attempts to clam himself.

"And we must talk about _that_," Stein appeared in the doorway, the light glinting off his glasses, making his expression impossible to read. Crona felt himself tremble even more, eyes growing wide with fear and anxiety. "Now, now, no reason to be nervous," the professor chuckled lightly as he stepped aside, motioning for Crona to follow him. "Come on now, just a quick evaluation and then you'll be free to go."

"Franken," Marie frowned as she stood up to face him.

"It's alright, Marie," Stein assured her. "I just want to make sure the child is healthy, that's all." He placed a hand on Crona's shoulder, beckoning him into the laboratory.

"Um…p-professor…you said that if I had any questions…," Crona began, nervously rubbing his arm as he sat down on a patted table.

"Yes, what is it?" Stein turned in his chair, rolling over to the boy with a stethoscope in hand. "Is there anything specific you were concerned about?"

"Well…b-besides the usual stuff…," the boy tried, sitting up as straight as possible.

Stein frowned as he pressed the stethoscope to Crona's chest, making his body go ridged. Crona was used to these types of check-ups; Medusa would do things like this all the time when he was a child. He learned that if he spoke, moved, or even breathed at the wrong time, he would mess something up and would be punished. Though, Stein would not punish him…at least he liked to think so. Still, he decided it was best to be careful.

"Your heartbeat is strong…that's good," Stein nodded, then moved the device to the boy's back. "Breathe in deep." Crona did as he was told, holding his breath until instructed to let it go. "So interesting…," the professor rolled backwards to look at the boy again. "Your lungs are…seemingly a large capacity for air, and yet…"

"Sh-she moved them," Crona muttered, rubbing his arm as he turned to stare at a medical poster on the wall. "C-closer together, I think. And my heart is here." He pointed to a place directly in the center of his chest. "But…it's supposed to be more to the left, isn't it?"

Stein blinked in disbelief. He knew that Medusa had done things to Crona, but he never understood the extent that she had gone. "Crona…why didn't you mention this before? This could be dangerous for your health," he stood up from his chair. "Is there…anything else? That you know of? Otherwise I could open you up and-"

"P-please, don't do that," Crona's voice shook with fear. He trusted professor Stein, of course, but he knew that the man was prone to madness. Just being around Crona's black blood could be enough for Stein to forget reason. And if he was given the opportunity to mess around inside the boy's body… Crona shivered, gripping his arm a bit tighter. "I-I know a lot of other stuff she did," he continued, blinking up to Stein again. "Sh-she took out my appendix…a-and I have two livers…my stomach is all squished to the side, and some of my intestines are gone…"

"That must be why you're so thin," Stein hummed as he circled the boy, his eyes dancing around the small figure. His mind was racing with fascination. "Even after given the opportunity to eat more, your body can't hold much food and you can't gain weight. Yet your skin and hair seem healthy enough…"

"When Ragnarok eats, I'm still hungry…but all the vitamins and stuff in what he eats goes to my body, too…," Crona spoke mindlessly. He was simply repeating the things that Medusa had told him. This was why he was perfect…a perfect creation.

"That…that's brilliant," Stein pushed his glasses closer to his face. "Your body is lightweight, which makes it easy to move around, as well as fly when Ragnarok could produce those wings…"

"Y-yeah…th-that was the idea, I guess…," Crona sighed, staring down at the ground. He was feeling more like a test subject again rather than an actual person.

A hand grasped his shoulder, causing him to look up. Stein was smiling down at him. "Crona…you're more than an experiment, you know that," the professor spoke honestly. "It's what's in here that matters." He poked Crona's chest. "Your soul. Nothing could change that."

Crona's hand traveled up to press against his own chest as he tried to focus on his own soul. He knew that it was small and dry, filled with loneliness and self loathing…but no, it had changed. A smile crept across his lips. "But…Maka changed it…"

"You allowed her to influence you, for the better," Stein informed him as he stepped away. "You're the one who changed it. You let her in and opened up to her, and allowed her influence to change you… You're a good person, Crona. You've just been dealt a bad hand."

Crona blinked, glancing down at his hands. "I-I don't understand…"

"What I mean is," Stein explained as he lit a cigarette. "The circumstances of your birth and events that happened in your life were not of your control. But you somehow overcame all of that and remained a good person. That makes you strong, Crona."

"Really?" the pink haired boy smiled again.

"Yes," Stein nodded. "Now, was there any other questions you had for me? Your body is relatively healthy…and because your heartbeat is strong, there's nothing to worry about. I feel that if I moved it now, it would cause some shock to your body, so we'll just leave it where it is. Same with your lungs." He paused to take a long drag of his cigarette.

Crona let out a sigh, relieved that he would not be undergoing a surgery from the professor. He gripped his arm to dispel his nerves as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Oh right!" Stein exclaimed, interrupting the boy. "That…we need to talk about your anxiety issues." He turned to dig through a cabinet on the wall. Crona frowned, biting his cheek as he forced his hand away from his arm.

Stein finally turned, holding an orange bottle full of little white pills. "I want you to take one of these whenever you feel extremely nervous or anxious," he began, handing the bottle over to Crona. The boy immediately popped the cap off and took one out, sliding it over his tongue and swallowing dryly. Stein blinked in shock before taking the bottle back.

"Did I do something wrong?" Crona stared up at him. "You said when I feel nervous, a-and right now, I…" He trailed off, shifting his gaze to stare at the floor.

"Have you had these before?" Stein spoke it as a statement, rather than as a question. Crona nodded in response as a guilty pain heated his chest. "Well then…only take up to five each day, understand? Any more than that, and it could cause negative side effects…so unless you want me to open you up and do a few operations on you-"

Crona sat up straight, his body going ridged. "I-I understand, professor," he spoke as he looked up to Stein. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay," Stein handed him the bottle again. "Just be careful, and let me know if there's anything else, okay?"

After another muttered apology, accompanied by a sigh, Crona stood up and shoved the bottle of pills in the pocket of his hoodie. He followed Stein out of the laboratory, and headed towards the door, when he was stopped by a voice calling his name.

"Crona!" Marie bounced out of the kitchen, a spoon in her hand. "I hope you weren't going to leave already…I've just finished making dinner, and there's enough for you and Ragnarok! Hey, where is he anyways?" She tilted her head to the side, as if trying to spot the little black demon.

"Oh, um-" Crona began before he was interrupted yet again.

"Hold up! Crona, you promised we would get food!" Ragnarok emerged, tugging on the boy's pink hair as he yelped.

"I gave you cake before we got here," Crona protested, trying to shove the demon's hands away.

"Well now I'm hungry again! Come on, doesn't it smell good?" Ragnarok stopped pulling Crona's hair and instead pressed down on his head, leaning over towards the kitchen.

"I won't take no for an answer," Marie smiled brightly as she grasped the boy's shoulder and lead into the dining room.

"Oh, well, th-thank you, Miss Marie," Crona blinked down at the plate that was set before him. There was another one beside it just for Ragnarok, piled high with double of everything. Stein casually sat back in his chair, glancing down at his food before picking up a fork.

"It's no trouble, really," the woman smiled as she took her place at the table, across from Crona. "I love cooking, and I know how hungry you boys get."

"Haha, _boys,_" Ragnarok snorted as he leaned over Crona's shoulder to get a better look at his food. "Hey Crona, lemme eat your chicken!"

"Take it," Crona sighed, shoving it onto the demon's plate. Ragnarok licked up all his food in one bite, then let out an obnoxious belch. Crona flinched. "E-excuse him, please."

"No worries," Marie laughed. "I'm glad you liked it, Ragnarok."

"Yeah, well, it was okay," the demon rolled his pingpong ball eyes. "But I guess if there's any dessert, you can let me know."

"Oh, I've got some pie cooling on the stove for after supper," she nodded. "But you've got to wait until everyone else is finished." Ragnarok grinned in approval, then began pestering Crona to hurry up and eat. Stein sat back quietly eating his food as he looked on at the display before him.

It seemed that Crona's anxiety was slowly melting away. Throughout the rest of the night, he smiled a bit more and gripped his arm a bit less. He was making eye contact when he spoke, and whenever Ragnarok would poke at him, Crona would poke right back. Stein let out a sigh. Maybe, everything would be okay for Crona from now on. Or at least, he would like to think so. There were still those rumors going around about Crona's gender, and although most of it was blatant curiosity, some of them were quite hurtful. The professor had to admit, he himself was a bit curious as well...but none of that should matter, should it? It's Crona's soul that matters. And so far, Crona's soul was continuing down path of healing. It definitely seemed more alive than it ever had before, and surely, Maka was to blame for this. Stein knew that Maka would continue to aid Crona in his return to normalcy. Whatever that meant…


	7. Chapter 7

**Update time! Just a reminder, I will be posting new chapters every Thursday. I want to say thank you to all who review my story and thank you for your lovely comments and praise! I love writing and I love Crona, so I do my best :) Thanks again for reading, and as always, reviews and questions are always appreciated and accepted! Enjoy chapter 7!**

Crona stared down at the capped bottle in his trembling hands. The little white pills bounced around inside the orange plastic, clattering together. How many had he taken that day? He couldn't remember. One more couldn't hurt, could it? His hands struggled to unscrew the top, but his palms were so sweaty it was impossible. His chest heaved, pushing against the anxious pressure that had forced itself upon his body. Breathing had become a chore, and his heart was pounding so hard against his ribcage that he could hear it.

"Hey, cut it out!" Ragnarok leaned down, knocking the bottle out of Crona's hands. "You can deal with this just fine, now quit being a nervous wreck over this!"

"I-I can't deal with it, I need one!" Crona cried as he fell to his knees, searching for the bottle in the dark. A sliver of light cracked through the doorway, and the pink haired boy froze.

"Oh demon boy~ Don't you want to play?" a voice sang as a pair of yellow eyes glinted through the darkness to stare at him. Blair stepped into the room, a seductive smile on her face as she bounced towards him.

Crona shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "Go away, I don't know how to deal with you like this!"

"Get outta here you crazy bitch!" Ragnarok waved a fist at the woman.

"Oh come on, I just wanna have some fun while the others are away," Blair hummed as she leaned down to them. Her hand rested on Crona's shoulder as her breasts pressed against his head. She stared at Ragnarok with a smirk. "Or would you rather fight me?"

"No, no, go away!" Crona squealed as he backed away from the cat witch's grasp. He curled himself up in a little ball, shivering and shaking.

"You're no fun," Blair pouted, placing her hands on her hips. "Not like scythe-boy…oh?" She paused as her foot tapped against something. "What's this?" She leaned down and picked up the bottle of pills, staring at them as if she had never seen such a thing before.

"Th-those are mine," Crona muttered, barely looking up. This was a bad idea, and he should have known it. Ragnarok's ideas were always bad… Why, Crona wondered, did he listen when Ragnarok urged him to skip school and go get ice cream? Sure, the ice cream was good, and it was nice to express some of his freedom…but he never expected to run into Blair when he came back to the apartment. Since then, he had spent the past few hours avoiding the cat witch as she pursued him, asking dozens of questions and touching him in ways that he couldn't deal with.

"Oh…," Blair flopped down on the ground, seemingly more calm now as she rolled the bottle around in her hands. Her ears twitched atop her head and her yellow eyes blinked up to Crona again. "I'm sorry." In a poof of smoke, the woman transformed into her cat self. Her little paws kicked the bottle, allowing it to roll over to Crona. "Blair didn't mean to scare you so much, demon boy," the cat purred as she rubbed up against his leg.

Crona froze, unsure of how he should feel about this. Somehow, Blair was easier to deal with in her cat form. After all, Crona did love animals, especially fluffy ones… He raised a trembling hand to pet Blair between her ears, eliciting another purr from the feline. "I…I think I like you better like this," Crona admitted with a mumble.

"Blair will stay like this for you then," she hummed as she hopped on his lap. "You're just so cute, I wanted to play with you."

Crona blushed, a small smile coming across his lips as he opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a loud crash. His body went ridged as he looked up to the doorway where a furious Maka stood, dictionary in hand. "M-Ma-Maka?" he stammered, his hand frozen on top of Blair's head. Ragnarok let out a little yelp before retreating back inside Crona's body. _Coward… _Crona thought to the demon.

"Crona!" Maka stomped towards the two. "And you-! Blair, what did you do?"

"Nya~! Blair didn't do anything!" the cat curled up on Crona's lap, blinking her bright yellow eyes. "Just keeping demon boy some company since you left him all alone."

"He's alone because he _skipped class,_" Maka's gaze turned to the pink haired boy. Crona flinched, his eyes wondering around the room to look anywhere except at her. He spotted Soul in the doorway, crossing his arms.

"Leave them alone, Maka," Soul sighed. "You're not Crona's mother. Quit freaking out."

Maka turned to face the scythe, placing her hands on her hips. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Soul rolled his eyes. "Crona can do whatever she wants to, stop trying to act like a guardian or a parent or something. It's really obnoxious…especially since Crona came here to escape her tyrant mother. Don't you think you're being a little hypocritical?"

Maka blinked in disbelief of her partner. "S…Soul…," she breathed, her arms falling to her sides. She turned to look at Crona who was still trembling, holding on to Blair for comfort.

"I…I just wanted to get ice cream…," Crona muttered. "Ragnarok said it would be okay…I came right back here after…"

"Crona," Maka sighed, patting over to him. "I'm sorry….I shouldn't be so angry. Soul is right, I can't tell you what to do… But, please, at least be careful."

Crona glanced up to her and nodded. "I'm always careful, Maka…at least I try to be…," he mumbled, looking back down at the cat in his lap. "But, um…"

"Okay, okay, maybe I scared him a little," Blair perked up, blinking her yellow eyes at Maka. "But I said I was sowwie~" She let out a soft purr, rubbing against Crona's stomach.

"Mhmm," Crona nodded, suppressing a giggle as Blair tickled him. "I-it's okay, really."

"Well…I guess," Maka sighed as she knelt down beside her friend. She glanced down, noticing the little orange bottle on the floor beside them, and she reached to pick it up. Her expression twisted into a frown as she read the label. "Crona…where did you get these?"

Crona snatched the bottle back, shoving it into his sweatshirt pocket. "P-professor Stein gave them to me," he stammered quickly, then gazed back down as he continued to pet Blair. "I used to have them when I was younger, but Lady Medusa took them away…I need them, though."

Crona rose to his feet, holding Blair carefully in his arms as he walked past Soul and out the doorway. He sat on the couch in the living room, flipping on the television and staring mindlessly as he continued to pet the feline in his lap. Crona let out a sigh, feeling more relaxed now that he and Blair were on good terms. The pills were doing their job for him, too, making him less anxious, making him able to speak his mind easier.

Maka, on the other hand, wasn't too pleased with this. Later that night, after Crona had retreated to his room, she stood in the kitchen with Soul as he cleaned up after dinner. "I'm going to have a word with professor Stein about this," Maka huffed as she crossed her arms, leaning against the table.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Soul shrugged as he dropped an armful of dishes into the sink. "If Stein thinks Crona needs them, she probably needs them…I mean, you know how nervous Crona always is."

"But…that doesn't mean he needs to pop pills to be _normal_…whatever _that_ is," Maka rolled her eyes. "I don't want him to get all dependant on them! He'll turn into a druggie or something!"

"They're prescription pills…prescribed to Crona," Soul turned, giving a dumbfound look to the meister. "Do you realize how crazy you sound? Maybe _you _need some anti-anxiety pills."

"Soul! I'm being serious!" Maka balled up her fists as she stepped towards him. "I'm worried about Crona…since he's been back, it seems like everything is going wrong. First that incident with those punks beating him up, then people spreading rumors about him…the whole thing with these pills, and what just happened with Blair…"

"Hey…so does that mean Crona is a guy? I mean, since Blair was trying to-" Soul began before Maka interrupted.

"That's not the point!" she shouted.

"Maka?" Crona spoke in a quiet voice as he appeared behind her. Soul quickly turned back to washing the dishes, hoping that the pink haired swordsman hadn't heard much of that conversation. Maka looked to Crona, her anger melting away into concern as she blinked to him.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, taking a step towards him.

"Yes, I'm fine," Crona nodded, a small smile painting his face. "I'm just…going to go for a walk. I'll be back later…I have my key, so don't worry about waiting up for me." The smile on his lips grew as he was proud of himself for not stuttering, as well as actually looking into the girl's eyes as he spoke. He wasn't even grabbing his arm as he spoke; his hands were shoved in the pockets of his black sweatshirt, clasping the apartment key.

"Oh, um…where are you going?" Maka hummed, her voice lined with concern.

Soul paused his dishwashing to turn back to Maka. He placed his still wet hands on the meister's shoulders and spun her around, away from Crona. "You go have fun, Crona," Soul smirked. "Come back whenever you feel like it." He pulled Maka away. "Come on now, Maka, don't you have some homework to do or something?"

"O-okay," Crona waved a hand at the two as he stepped through the door. "Bye!"

After a few minutes of walking through the darkening streets of Death City, Ragnarok emerged, curious of what the meister was planning on doing out so late. The demon leaned on Crona's head, staring down at him as he tugged his hair. "Hey, nutso, where we going?" he asked.

"Oh, I thought you were asleep," Crona glanced up at the weapon. "I just wanted to go for a walk…it's so nice out at night."

"Don't you remember the last time you went out for a walk, you moron?" Ragnarok poked the side of the boy's head. "You got your ass kicked and had to be saved by little miss pigtails! You want that to happen again? What are you, a masochist?" The demon punched the side of Crona's face. "I can beat you up all you want!"

"No, and stop that!" Crona grabbed the demon's fist and shoved it away. "Anyway, I really just wanted to go for a walk." He paused, gazing up at the grinning moon as it cackled in the sky. A small smile graced Crona's lips. "There's no blood tonight…that's a good sign."

"You're so stupid," Ragnarok flopped down in the boy's messed pink hair. "The moon doesn't bleed because something bad is about to happen, it bleeds because something bad is already happening!"

"I know that," Crona hummed, still walking with his hands shoved in his pockets. "Still, it's a good sign."

A silence hung between the two as Crona enjoyed the beautiful night, and Ragnarok endured the ride along the way. The demon would never admit it, but he actually did like being able to see the night sky. In a way, Crona found it peaceful. A soft wind blew pink strands of hair away from his eyes as he glanced across the street, where something a little less peaceful was going on…

"Let's go inside!" Ragnarok urged, tugging on his meister's hair. "I bet there's beer, let's get wasted!"

"I-I don't know," Crona rubbed his arm, feeling nervous for the first time since earlier. The house was blaring loud, unintelligible music, and the sounds of yelling and laughter could be heard from outside. The door was open, allowing guests of the house party to flow in and out as they pleased. A small group of people stood outside, each of them smoking a cigarette. The girls wore revealing clothing, and Crona had to look away to hide the embarrassed blush on his cheeks. This was definitely not the kind of place for him to be. And yet, as always, Ragnarok was just so convincing…

"Come on, damn it, enjoy your freedom!" the little demon yelped. "Who's gonna care?! Just go have fun! Come on, look at all the hot chicks! Maybe you could even get laid~"

"I-I don't want that!" Crona blushed, glancing up frighteningly at the weapon. "I-I mean…I don't know. I've never had to deal with a place like this before. I'm not sure how to act."

Ragnarok shrunk down to rest on Crona's shoulder, looking a bit less conspicuous as he blended in to the boys baggy black sweatshirt. "Just go inside and grab a drink," he whispered into the meister's ear. "You don't have to talk to anyone. Go on! I bet there's food too."

"Well…I guess it might be okay…," Crona hummed, taking a step forward. Ragnarok continued to push him along with encouraging words until he was finally inside. The music was much louder inside of the house, and there seemed to be food and drink everywhere. The largest room was dark, only illuminated by a blacklight and several flashing colored lights set up around the tables. Crona picked up a bottle and took a sip, his lips puckering at the sourness.

"It tastes like lemonade," he whispered to Ragnarok, then handed the bottle over to the demon, who sucked it down instantly. The alcohol went directly to Crona's blood stream as a result, and the boy suddenly felt dizzy.

"Hey there," a voice called, leaving hot breath on his ear. Crona flinched back, turning to see the source of the voice. It was one of those girls he saw outside before, dressed in minimal clothing. She smelt like alcohol and smoke, but surprisingly, her face was nice to look at. She had long brown hair and bright blue eyes, a light pink smile painting her thin lips.

"H-hi," Crona stammered, his hand unconsciously reaching for another bottle of the alcohol infused lemonade.

"I haven't seen you around here before," the girl continued, leaning closer to him. "You're kind of cute."

"Uh, th-thanks," he answered, glancing away as he nursed the drink in his hand. He was right, this place was definitely not for him. Despite the alcohol in his system and the pills he was on, Crona was still feeling nervous in this situation.

"You've got pretty hair, too," she smiled, brushing a few of the longer locks of hair away from Crona's face.

"Thank you," Crona responded, blushing as he glanced away. This whole situation was strange…

"You wanna get out of here, huh?" the girl leaned back. "You don't look too comfortable."

Crona flinched, glancing back to look into the girl's eyes. "I-I guess…this isn't something I normally do…," he admitted. "I don't really know how to deal with something like this."

"Well, you're certainly not dressed for a party," the girl ran her hand down his chest, feeling at the fabric of his baggy black sweatshirt. "Boys won't notice you like that." She pointed a finger at herself, at her tight top and short shorts. "You've gotta wear something like this."

"Wh-why would I- I-I mean, why would you want boys to notice you?" Crona blinked, clearly confused.

"Well, you know…," she trailed off, as if the answer was obvious.

"No…I don't know," he shook his head. Ragnarok was laughing in his ear, but he did his best to ignore it and focus on the girl.

"Well…so that boys will like you," she rolled her eyes. "So they'll _want_ you."

Crona's cheeks flushed a dark pink as he finally understood what the girl meant. He glanced away, clutching the bottle with both hands. "Oh, I, uh…I'm not interested in that," he muttered. "A-anyway, I'm not a girl…" _Sort of… _

"Oh," she blinked in surprise. "Sorry to mistake you for one. Well I guess your clothes are alright then." She relaxed, leaning back. "Anyway, I guess I'm not so interested in boys noticing me either. I've had enough of guys, you know? They're all the same." Crona stayed silent, sipping his drink as he listened.

"They all want the same thing, and once they get it, they're done with you," she rolled her eyes again, then let out a heavy sigh. "At least we have some power over them. I can dress like this and make them realize what they're missing…" She glanced over at Crona again, a small smile painting her lips. "You seem different, though."

"I-I guess you could say that," Crona muttered, looking away from her stare.

The girl turned to him, eyes half lidded. "You wanna get out of here?" she whispered, her hand grasping his. Crona didn't get the chance to answer before the girl pulled him outside and stumbled down the sidewalk. Finally, she stopped beneath a streetlight, turning to stare at him. "Hm…you're nice looking in the light, too," she commented.

Crona blushed, glancing away. He wouldn't admit it, but the girl was actually surprisingly pretty as well. He gripped his arm and let out a shaky breath.

"Um…you okay, kid?" the girl asked, hands pressed to her hips.

"I-I just feel kind of dizzy," he admitted, crossing his arms around himself.

"You're really not used to drinking, are you?" she laughed, stepping closer to him. "You seem so sweet, you know…a guy like you shouldn't be going around to random parties. You could get yourself into trouble."

A small smirk grew on Crona's lips. "Trouble," he huffed. "You have no idea…"

"You should go home," the girl laughed. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against Crona's cheek. "Good night." She turned and walked away, her heels clacking against the concrete.

Crona stared in shock after her, his face blushing a deep shade of scarlet. His fingertips touched the place on his cheek where the girl had kissed him. _Physical contact… _

"Hey, moron!" Ragnarok tugged at the boy's hair. "What the hell was that?"

"That was…this is life, isn't it?" Crona whispered into the cool air. Ragnarok leaned back, listening to his meister. "This is normal…this is what it feels like." He gazed up at the sky, the moon grinning chuckling. A small smile tugged at the corners of Crona's lips. "I feel alive."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews and comments, I'm glad there's so many of you enjoying this story. Here's chapter 8, and thanks to you all again for reading! **

"Well…you killed him," Ragnarok sighed, flopping down on his meister's messed pink hair.

"I-I- I didn't mean to! Oh no, wh-what do I do?" Crona stammered as he glanced around, frantically searching for a solution.

"Nothing you _can_ do, he's dead!" Ragnarok poked at the boy's head. "D-E-A-D; _dead!_"

Crona covered his face with his hands, letting out a noise that was something between a squeak of fear and a groan of defeat. He flinched when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Maka offered the boy a small smile, trying to hold back a laugh.

"Crona…you were supposed to kill it, it's okay," she assured him, then turned to her own specimen. "See?"

Experiments conducted in Professor Stein's class were never any easier to get used to, and Crona still wasn't sure how to deal with them. He hated hurting and killing the little animals they were given, even if it were something as miniscule as an earthworm, like right now. Crona sighed, turning back to his own worm which had stopped moving after the boy had sliced it in half. A disappointed frown curled on his lips; he had even gone through the trouble of naming it…

The bell rang out, signaling the end of class. After everything was cleaned up, and a small prayer was said on the deceased earthworm's behalf, Crona walked out of the classroom beside Maka and Soul. The pink haired boy dragged his feet, letting out another sad sigh.

"You're not still upset about that worm, are you?" Soul grumbled, glancing at the meister.

"N-no," Crona lied, gazing at the ground as they walked. He shoved his hands into his sweatshirt pockets, shrugging his shoulders and trying to slink down to make himself smaller. He couldn't wait to get back to the apartment and cuddle up on the couch with Blair. Petting the cat after school had become a new ritual for the two, and one that they both seemed to enjoy. Ever since their last encounter, Blair had been considerate enough to avoid being in her human form around Crona. And since the boy loved animals so much, a new friendship had quickly formed.

"You're thinking about Blair again," Soul grinned, shoving an elbow at Crona. "C'mon, you're blushing. It's too obvious."

"Wh-what? I-I am not!" Crona stammered, only making his cheeks burn a deeper shade of scarlet.

"Enough, already," Maka sighed, quickly growing annoyed with all the talk of Blair. "Anyway, have you heard about the recent attacks in Death City? Just in the outskirts, near the desert."

"You think it's a kishin?" Soul glanced up, interested in the thought of a mission.

"It's hard to say…it may be a witch," Maka thought as she tapped a finger against her chin. A small smile grew on her lips. "Maybe we should investigate, and we can let Lord Death know what we find."

"Sounds like fun," Soul grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You in, Crona?"

"O-oh, um…sure," Crona nodded, though was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't get to head home right away. Still, being able to do something to help out the academy was a high priority. Crona knew he still had to prove himself and his loyalty, and going along with Maka and Soul was the best way to accomplish that.

It didn't take long to get to the outskirts of the city. Crona stood back, staring out at the open desert while Maka went around talking to people, dragging Soul along with her. The afternoon sun was beginning to look sleepy in the clear blue sky, and the sight of it was making him sleepy as well. He fought back a yawn, his eyes getting a bit teary as they focused on the desert sand once again.

Suddenly, he felt his blood shift in his body, causing him to stumble a bit. He gazed down in surprise as the demon sword appeared in his hand. "R-Ragnarok…what are you doing?" Crona frowned, feeling a bit dizzy.

"Look up, you idiot!" Ragnarok yelped.

Crona glanced up just in time to see a figure hovering high in the air. Shocked, he held the sword up defensively. After a few seconds, he realized that the figure wasn't moving. His eyes adjusted as he squinted at it, seeing that the figure was a woman…in a dress…with wings on her back. A sinking feeling sunk in his chest, and his throat tightened; he wanted so badly to call out to Maka, but was unable to speak. _Is that…a witch?_

"Looks like it," Ragnarok answered his thoughts.

The woman- the witch- didn't move. She seemed to be gazing down at the city, a small smirk on her lips, as if she were watching over something. What did that mean? What was going on? Crona ripped his gaze from the woman to glance around again, seeing nothing. When he looked up again, the woman had vanished.

"Crona!" Maka called as she and Soul approached.

"M-Maka…," Crona breathed, still feeling uneasy. He relaxed his stance, but didn't let go of his sword yet. "D-did you see her? The w-witch?" He glanced up at the sky again. "Ragnarok and I saw her, and then…"

"We heard of her," Maka nodded, affirming the boy's statement. "They call her the wasp woman…she wears a black dress, and she's got long blonde hair-"

"She's gorgeous," Soul added, earning a glare from his meister. "Well- she is! Everyone said so…she's beautiful and puts her victims in a sort of trance."

"But there was another with her, a boy," Maka frowned. "Some say that he's like…her servant. It reminds me of how Gopher is to Noah…know what I mean?"

"You mean like a spineless whiny little baby?" Soul rolled his eyes. "Only, submitting to a witch, doing the killing for her…"

Crona shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his arm. "Um…," he gazed down at the ground, his face flushing.

"N-not like you, Crona! That's not what I-" Soul tried to explain, but was cut off by Maka holding up a hand. He blinked at his meister. "What?"

"Look," Maka gestured to a boy approaching them. He had to be about their age, maybe a bit younger. He had silvery blonde hair hanging across his face, and piercing golden eyes. His expression was one of fear, and his hand trembled as it extended towards them. "Are you okay?" Maka asked, clearly concerned for the boy.

"You…you saw the witch?" the boy muttered, his hand still held out. "You were looking for her?"

"Yes," Maka nodded. "We're from the academy, Shibusen. We came to investigate…is everything alright? Have you seen her too?"

"Oh…oh, yes," the boy nodded, suddenly looking less afraid as his hand extended towards the girl.

Crona's eyes widened with fear as he stared at the strange boy. He didn't know what it was, almost like a flash of light in his mind, a sense of impending doom. Was it a premonition? Intuition? Maybe he read the boy's soul… Whatever it was, Crona knew that Maka was in danger. He dashed forward, invading the space between the boy and Maka.

The boy's hand transformed into a drill, whirring and spinning as it connected with the flesh of Crona's hand. The swordsman winced in pain, but successfully pushed the boy away. More importantly, he had protected Maka.

"C-Crona!" Maka shrieked, turning to see black blood dripping down the pink haired meister's arm. It was everywhere, dying his skin and painting the dirt. Crona didn't seem to care, though. He held out his hand, summoning the demon sword.

"Oh…you're strange," the blonde boy frowned. "I suppose this is a fight…"

Crona nodded silently, biting his lip to keep in his screams of pain. The boy's drill had punctured a hole straight through Crona's hand, and Ragnarok was unable to heal it since he was focused on being in sword mode. Alongside him, Soul transformed and was caught by his meister.

"Who are you?" Maka shouted, swinging the scythe back.

"My name is Deshi," he spoke as his golden eyes flicked over to her. "And I…I am just like you." His arm, transformed as a drill, began to spin again. "I'm a weapon, see? Just like…" He trailed off, eyeing up the scythe in the girl's hands.

A haze began to cloud over Crona's mind as he watched the boy. His pupils shrunk to pinpoints as his eyes iced over. The intense pain and pure anger, fueled by the ever-present madness in his mind, was enough to send him over the edge, losing his control.

"You may be a weapon, but you're nothing like us," Maka insisted. "Now step down, or I'll be forced to-"

"AAH-!" Crona screeched, running forward as he swung his black sword at Deshi. The blade connected with the whirring drill, creating sparks as well as a look of shock from the blonde boy. Ragnarok screamed as well, creating a vibration along the metal that sent Deshi flying backwards. The boy hit a stone wall, sliding down to the dirt. "No- ah!" Crona ran after him again.

"Crona, stop!" Maka dashed forward. She grasped him by the shoulder, forcing him to stop. As Crona turned to glare at her, Maka saw that look in his eyes; that was the look she remembered from so long ago… Crona was gone, overtaken by rage. "Crona…"

"Until next time," Deshi's voice rang out. They turned to stare at the boy as he began to rise up and hover in the sky, being held up by some invisible force. Deshi waved a hand to them. "Good bye, friends."

"He's getting away!" Soul yelled from within his scythe form, his reflection glinting on across the blade.

"I know…," Maka sighed, relaxing her stance. "We'll let him go…we have a lot to tell Lord Death."

"No," Crona muttered, his icy eyes still glaring at the boy floating away. He clenched his bloody hand into a fist, wincing in pain again. "Ragnarok…d-do the w-wings." His voice shook as he began to feel light headed.

"Hell no," the weapon responded. The demon sword dissipated into black blood and reformed as the little demon jetting out of Crona's back. "Do you see yourself? It's gonna knock me out just to heal your hand."

"I don't care!" Crona turned back to flash an angry glare at the weapon. The sudden movement caused him to stumble to the ground. "Ow…," he muttered, staring down at his hand. Ragnarok returned to his bloodstream and began working on healing the wound.

"Crona, calm down," Maka hummed, appearing at his side. She placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "It's really okay."

"N-no," Crona mumbled as his body began to tremble. "H-he was going t-to hurt y-you…a-and now he got away."

"It'll be alright, Crona," Soul sighed, now back in his human form. "We'll catch him next time…and I'll eat his damn soul."

"No," Maka shook her head. "His soul was human…although, it was a bit mixed up."

"I saw it," Crona glanced up at her with wide eyes. "It was that witch…sh-she had a hold on him…j-just like…"

"Just like Medusa had on you…you're right, I remember it now," Maka nodded. "That's why it felt so familiar…that's why I didn't sense it right away when he came towards me."

Crona looked down as a guilty pressure sat on his chest. He struggled to stand up, shying away from Maka's touch. "I-I'm sorry...," he muttered.

"It's not your fault," Maka assured him as she placed a hand on his shoulder again. "Like Soul said, we'll get him next time. But for now, we have to report all of this to Lord Death…and get your hand stitched up."

It seemed that Crona's hand was not healing at all. All that Ragnarok was able to do was stop the bleeding. There was still a gaping hole in the boy's hand, torn muscle and even bone showing through the wound. Maka winced at the sight of it and quickly looked away. Luckily, it didn't take them long to reach the academy once again. Crona was left in the infirmary while Maka and Soul went to report to Lord Death.

"Incredibly stupid of you," Stein sighed as he examined the boy's hand.

"I know, isn't he a moron? I'm ashamed to be attached to him," Ragnarok yelped as he emerged from Crona's spine. Exhausted, he flopped down on top of the boy's messed pink hair. "Hey doc, how about some steroids?"

"Excuse me?" Stein glared at the little demon. Crona winced at the sight of the needle and stitching that the man was preparing.

"You know, I'm so fucking weak now," Ragnarok explained. Crona glanced up, surprised that the weapon would admit such a thing. It was true, since having all of their souls confiscated, Ragnarok's abilities had shrunk along with his size. Souls were what made him strong, and now that he had none…

"You weren't able to harden the blood on time," Stein nodded in understanding. "And even after, you couldn't heal the wound…normally a wound like this wouldn't have been a problem, would it? It seems that your power lies within the souls you ate."

"Then get me some damn souls!" Ragnarok shook a fist at him. The weapon shrank back again, burying his face in his meister's hair again. "I don't wanna die…"

"R-Ragnarok…," Crona muttered sadly, suddenly feeling sorry for the weapon.

Stein hummed to himself in thought as he stuck the needle through Crona's hand, beginning the stitching. As he was almost finished, he looked back up to the little demon again. "I don't think you'll die, but…I do see that it is impacting Crona's health," he spoke while eyeing the boy.

"And what about me, damn it!" Rangarok glared at him. "I'm a person, too, you screw head!"

Crona hung his head guiltily. It was true, Ragnarok was often forgotten about, and he felt bad about it. And although the weapon tried to play it off like he didn't care, it really did bother him. Ragnarok wasn't just a sword or a demon; he was a person. Sure, he didn't look like most people, but neither did Crona. "I don't want Ragnarok to suffer because of me anymore," Crona said softly as his eyes pleaded with the professor. "If Lord Death would let me collect just a few kishin souls, then Ragnarok wouldn't be so weak…"

"That might be difficult to negotiate, considering your past mistakes…," Stein sighed as he reached for the bandages. He began to wrap up Crona's hand, staying silent until the job was finished. "I suppose I could talk to him, though…but I can't make any promises."

A small smile tugged at the corners of Crona's mouth. "O-okay," he nodded. "Thank you very much, professor."

"Don't get your hopes up, moron," Ragnarok huffed as they exited the infirmary. "You've already screwed over this place twice, I doubt they'll give you another chance."

"You know…it isn't fair to you," Crona glanced up at his weapon. "I-I'm sorry that what I do has to effect you like this."

"Shut up…besides, I've screwed up plenty too," Ragnarok rolled his eyes, leaning back so that the meister could not see the depressed expression on his little face. "Not like it matters. It's always been like this."

Crona stared down at his hand, stretching it out and wincing at the tightness of the stitches. They itched his skin, and he wished to rip them out. He was glad that they were covered with thick bandages. "You…still can't remember?" he muttered the question as his mind began to wonder.

"Of course not," the weapon answered. "Why the fuck would I be able to remember what happened before I was attached to your sorry ass? I was young, too, ya know."

"Yeah…but, I mean…I remember," Crona glanced up again, frowning when he couldn't see the weapon's form sitting on top of his head. When Ragnarok stayed silent, he continued. "I remember being in a crib…being really little, and crying…and Lady Medusa brought me a bottle…but she never picked me up." The swordsman gripped his arm, letting out a small sigh. "Everything after that, I had you with me…"

"…I remember the first day," Ragnarok muttered, setting himself down in Crona's messed pink hair. "It was horrible. I was…_scared_."

"I was scared, too," Crona mumbled, slowing his pace. It was rare that Ragnarok opened up to him like this, and he wanted the moment to last. He knew that as soon as they came in contact with another person, the weapon would act like his old self again. Crona gazed up at the ceiling as he spoke. "What was it like?"

"Dark," Ragnarok answered simply. "Quiet…until _your_ pathetic baby self started crying."

"I just told you, I was scared…of course I cried," Crona frowned in response.

"Yeah, well…you've always cried way too much," the weapon rolled his white eyes.

"Maybe you don't cry enough," Crona suggested, a small smile playing on his lips. "Do you think you had a normal body before that?"

"How the hell should I know? I just told you I don't remember!" Ragnarok sat up and rubbed his fists into the boy's head. "And what do you think, dumb ass? If I'm a weapon then I should have a normal body! Instead of being stuck to your pathetic skinny self!"

Crona let out a sigh; he could never hold a serious conversation with the weapon for too long. Ragnarok didn't like getting in touch with his feelings, and he didn't like over thinking things. Quite the opposite to Crona. The swordsman often thought of what life would be like for himself and Ragnarok if they were not connected. Was Ragnarok his brother? Or just some weapon that Medusa stole and experimented on? A shiver ran down Crona's spine just from thinking about it. He thanked himself once again that the witch was dead.

"Crona!" Maka called as she rounded a corner. She bounded over to him, followed by Soul who approached with his hands shoved in his pockets. Ragnarok took one look at the girl and quickly retreated back inside his meister's bloodstream. "How's your hand?" Maka asked, reaching out to him.

"Oh, um…it's fine," Crona nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. He held it out to her, showing the bandages wrapped tightly around the stitches. "It's kind of uncomfortable, but I'm not allowed to take them off…"

"Well at least you're alright," Maka smiled to him as she took his hand gently. Blushing, Crona brought up his other hand to place it on top of hers. Holding her hands seemed to make all of his pain disappear.

Soul let out a yawn, stretching his arms out. "Well, let's get home already," he grumbled, walking past the two. "Maka, it's your turn to make dinner tonight." He waved a hand in the air as he exited the academy, leaving the two behind in the hallway for a moment.

"M-Maka," Crona breathed, his eyes searching hers. "I'm sorry for everything that happened today…I just…the thought of someone hurting you, I-" He stopped when Maka's finger pressed against his lips. His cheeks burned, eyes crossing to stare down at her in confusion.

"Crona," Maka began simply, pulling her hand away again. "You're always trying to protect me…but you don't need to. I'm strong."

"I-I know you are, Maka, you're the strongest person I know," he responded quickly, hoping he hadn't upset her. His mind, scattered and flustered, commanded his mouth to keep talking for some idiotic reason that he was sure he would later regret. "I-I just don't want you to get hurt, Maka…if anything happened to you, e-even though you're strong, I- I would never forgive myself for not protecting you. Even if there's nothing I can do, I…I just don't want anything bad to ever happen to you, Maka. It scares me, because I don't know what I would do if I lost you. You…you're important to me."

A sad smile tugged on Maka's lips as she stared at her friend. She moved her hands up to his shoulders, grasping him tightly in an embrace. The warmth and radiance of her soul touched his, and he breathed softly into her hair. Slowly, Crona reached his own arms around the girl's form, daring to pull her closer. "M…Maka?" he whispered, begging for an answer.

"I'm not going anywhere, Crona," Maka sighed as she pulled back, staring into his eyes. "I can promise you that."


	9. Chapter 9

**I'm sorry I had to skip a week- I was struck with writer's block for a while, as well as having a busy work schedule. Hopefully my updates will be regular from now on! Thanks again for reading, and as always, reviews, comments, and criticism are welcome!**

The moon was grinning as always, chuckling at some unknown joke as it stared down at the earth. Flirting at the horizon, bobbing up and down as twilight slowly faded into night. And already, blood began to trickle out from between the moon's teeth…

"I still don't understand it…the sun…the moon…why do they light? And me…don't I have light too?" The blonde boy stood alone in the heart of Death City, gazing out at the setting sun, eyes slowly shifting to the rising moon. Though, he wasn't truly alone…

"Deshi…"

The boy froze, golden eyes going wide at the sound of the witch's voice. Yes…the wasp woman…the witch. "Yes? What do you need?" Deshi whispered.

"Go…find the demon child again," the witch instructed.

Deshi glanced up into the blackness of the sky above him, knowing that the witch was hovering somewhere high above him. Watching…she was always watching him. The boy's lips curled into a twisted grin. Of course she was watching him…he was her loyal servant. He would do anything for her.

"The demon…that skinny thing with the blood weapon? Oh, he is strange," Deshi hummed, his golden eyes dancing around the streets. "And it's so late…where would I find him?"

"I will guide you, child…follow my dance…"

"Oh…yes, okay," the boy nodded, smirking again. The witch would send him instructions, directions, and he would follow them with ease. He would be there in no time…

888

"It still hurts…," Crona muttered as he gazed down at his injured hand. Carefully, he tugged at the thick bandages, wanting to remove them in order to examine the stitches. Stein said that they could be taken out in a little over a week, but even that felt like too long. With his hand all wrapped up like this, he was unable to fight, unable to go on missions with the others. "Ow!" he yelped suddenly as a stinging pain struck his hand. Tears formed in his eyes, threatening to spill over the increasing pain.

"Are you alright?" Blair appeared at the boy's side, nudging his arm with her head. Purple ears twitched atop her head as she blinked up at him. "Nya~ too bad I don't know any healing magic…but I could make you a drink!"

Crona cringed at the thought, avoiding the cat's gaze. "Y-yeah, I don't think I need anything like that…," he muttered, then looked back to his hand. The pain started to dull, and he continued pulling at the bandages.

"So how did that happen anyways? You got into a fight?" Blair asked as she hopped onto the couch beside the meister. She carefully stepped onto his lap and curled up into a comfortable position before lying her head down to rest.

"Yeah…a weapon…n-not from the academy…someone who is working with a witch," Crona tried to explain. "I mean…he tried to attack Maka, but I got in the way…to block it." He stared down at his hand again as he peeled off the last layer of gauze.

"Ohh, you protected her~" the cat sang as she peeked an eye open to smirk at him. "I bet Maka really liked that, huh? Was she real _appreciative?_"

"Sh-she was upset, actually…," Crona sighed. "I just wanted to protect her, but…"

"This is getting exhausting," Blair yawned as she stretched across the boy's lap. "Why don't you just admit that you're in love with her already? Your twitchy nervousness is cute, but only for so long."

Crona flinched at the accusation, his cheeks blushing with embarrassment as he glanced down at the cat. "Wh-what..?"

"No need to play dumb, you and I are the only ones here," Blair sighed as she curled up once more, her yellow eyes closing softly.

Crona relaxed again, placing his hand on the cat's head to pet her slowly. That's right…Maka and Black*Star were off on another mission, along with their weapons. They would be gone all weekend, leaving Crona alone in the apartment. Well, aside from Blair…though it seemed that the feline would most likely be in and out of the home as usual. For now, she would spend the evening with the meister.

"W-well, I guess…I mean, I do l-love Maka…she's my best friend," Crona admitted quietly, staring down at his injured hand while the other continued to pet Blair. "She…she saved me, you know. She was my very first friend…and without her, I wouldn't be here…"

"So tell her how you feel, silly," Blair glanced up to him with a smirk. She crawled out from beneath his hand and bounced off the couch. In a puff of smoke, the cat transformed into her human form. Clad in her usual outfit, the witch stretched out, walking back so as to stay out of Crona's line of sight. The boy wasn't paying much attention to her now anyways. He stared down at the stitches holding his skin together as his mind wondered.

_Tell her how I feel? Is it really that simple? But…what would she say? She doesn't feel the same way, does she..? _His hand curled into a fist, and he let out another yelp of pain. Uncurling his fingers, he noticed black blood seeping out of the stitched wound in his palm.

"D-damn it…," he muttered to himself. "Ragnarok?" Almost immediately, the blood hardened and dried over the stitches. He bit his lip nervously; that wouldn't be fun to explain to Stein…

"You want something to eat? I can make us fish!" Blair sang as she stepped to the kitchen. She opened up a few cabinets, searching around for something to cook with.

"I-it's okay…I'll make some pasta later," Crona answered mindlessly. He let his hands rest in his lap once again, being careful of the injured one now. At least it felt less suffocated now that the bandages were off, even though the stitches were still itchy…

As Blair fumbled around the kitchen, eventually getting all that she needed to cook some fish for herself, Crona stared at the television, his mind still occupied with thoughts of Maka. What did he feel for the girl? Was it more than friendship? It was hard to tell…Crona had just gotten used to the concept of friendship. How was he to know when a relationship stepped over that thin line? Surely Maka would know, wouldn't she? She is very smart…

Crona glanced up suddenly as a strange sensation struck his mind. _Soul perception? Again? _He turned towards the door, his eyebrows lowering in concentration. This skill was odd, strangely uncontrollable. He wondered how Maka could have such tight focus on it. More importantly now, there was a strong soul right outside the door…coming closer. And then, a knock….

"Nya~?" Blair turned towards the door and crinkled her nose. "Oh, there's a boy here…for me?"

"B-Blair, no," Crona stood up, following her, but not quick enough to stop her from opening the door.

"Surprise!"

Crona flinched at the sudden, shrill voice. A flash of blonde rushed past his line of sight, and he squeezed his eyes closed, afraid of what was coming next. A pair of arms slung around the boy's frame, tightly pulling him into an embrace.

"Seriously?" Liz sighed as she stepped into the apartment. She walked over to Crona, who was currently being strangled in a hug by Patti. "Let the poor boy go before you kill him."

"Hello, reaper boy~" Blair sang as she blinked at Kid. The young shinigami stepped past her and into the apartment as well.

Finally, upon hearing the familiar voices, Crona opened his eyes. "K-Kid?" he squeaked as he was finally released from the embrace. "Patti? Wh-what are you doing here? Maka and Soul are on a mission…"

"Yes, I'm aware," Kid nodded, keeping his hands in his pockets. "Maka asked if I would come and check up on you…but I see that you're not alone." He turned to glance at Blair, who was holding up a charred fish at the end of a fork.

"So…you're here to babysit me?" Crona's voice turned cold as he glared at the reaper.

"We're here to play!" Patti smiled, bouncing at his side before running to Blair's side. "Hey kitty, can I help?"

"Out of all people, you two should not be allowed near a stove," Liz sighed as she followed her sister.

Kid kept a careful eye on Crona, still unsure of the black blooded meister. It was true that his father had allowed Crona another chance in the academy, but Lord Death didn't always make the best decisions… Besides, Kid was close to becoming a full blown shinigami himself. Shouldn't he get to pass judgment as well? And so far, with Crona's past record, Kid didn't think that he deserved yet another chance for redemption…

"Not babysitting," the reaper spoke in a cool tone, crossing his arms across his chest. "Just…checking up. Making sure everything is alright…like I said, Maka asked me to." He shrugged his shoulders as he let out a sigh. "Maybe she doesn't trust you in the apartment on your own."

Crona's hands clenched into fists as he glared at the other meister. He winced slightly at the pain in his injured hand, but was quick to ignore it. The pain in his heart was much more intense now. "Maka trusts me," he said with certainty. "I know she does."

"Alright, calm down, it wasn't an accusation," Kid raised his hands up defensively. "Anyway…Patti is still determined to throw you a party or something, so this little visit is for her benefit as well. Patti?"

"Look Kid, we made dinner!" the young weapon exclaimed happily. She pointed to the stovetop which had a finished dinner heating atop it. The fish, which Blair had made, were sitting in a pan, though a bit overcooked, they looked appetizing. There was also a pot of mashed potatoes and another pot of gravy, made with much of Liz's help.

"Not bad for a quick fix," Liz smirked as she pulled out a stack of plates. "I'm starving." She handed a plate to her sister and to Blair, then held one out to each of the meisters.

Crona was the first to break the staring match between himself and the reaper. He looked to Liz, his expression melting into a small smile as he took the plate from her hands. "Thank you," he said softly as he shuffled over to the stove. "This is so nice…you really didn't have to."

"Oh, hush," Blair meowed as she slung an arm around the boy. "I told you I would share my fish!"

"And I wouldn't let you go hungry," Liz smirked to him as she turned towards the food.

"Yeah, you're already so skinny!" Patti piped as she piled mashed potatoes onto her plate. "You should eat like this whole thing for yourself!" She let out a laugh as she skipped past them and into the living room.

"Patti, don't say it like that," Liz scolded her sister. "You'll make him feel bad."

"Aw whatever, Crona's just fine!" Patti laughed as she plopped down onto the couch. Liz sat beside her, and Blair huddled herself on the floor. "Hey, come sit by us! I can scoot over and you can sit between sis and me."

"O-oh, um…," Crona stared, his mind still a bit scrambled by the sudden unexpected guests and food. He flinched a bit as Ragnarok emerged from his spine. The black blooded demon leaned over his head, drooling over the food.

"Damn…your seductive powers of cuteness really did it this time, Crona…," Ragnarok grinned. "We've got food and hot babes! Come on, pile up your plate and go sit between the tit sisters!"

Crona blushed darkly as his trembling hand gathered food onto his plate. "D-don't talk like that, please…I didn't want them to do this for me, they just did…," he muttered.

"Well then," Kid glared at Ragnarok as he began to carefully place food on his own plate. "I'll thank you to keep your eyes and _paws _off of my weapons."

"What, is reaper boy jealous?" Ragnarok stuck out his long tongue at the boy.

Kid cringed at the sight of it, muttering "Disgusting demon," as he walked past them. The reaper sat on a chair across from the couch, carefully setting his plate in his lap. He kept his gaze on Crona as the boy sat down between the Thompson sisters.

Awkward conversation filled the room, though it seemed that Blair and Patti were really hitting it off, and throughout dinner, Kid kept a close watch on Crona and the black blooded demon. Surprisingly, everything went fine, and after an hour, everyone was finished and the remains of dinner were cleaned up and the dishes were soaking in the sink, thanks to Kid's help.

"Well, I guess you'll be okay for the night," Liz yawned as she stretched her arms. "We should get going, yeah?"

"Aw, but I wanted a sleep over!" Patti whined as she crossed her arms.

Crona blushed and glanced away. "Um…th-thank you all for coming over here for me," he stammered nervously. "I r-really appreciate it…"

"Any time, Crona," Liz offered a small smile to the boy.

"Nya~" Blair yawned, and in a puff of smoke, transformed into her feline form once again. She patted over to the pink haired meister and rubbed herself against his ankles. "Can we cuddle tonight~? You'll be so lonely in that room without Maka…"

The blush on Crona's cheeks darkened as he glanced down at the cat. "I, um…I-I don't know, I-" he began to protest, but suddenly froze. That feeling, that sense of soul perception hit him again, just as hard as the first time. Kid seemed to feel it too, standing up as his body went ridged.

"Did you feel that?" the reaper asked in a low voice. Crona nodded in response, his expression turning serious as he stretched out his hand, ready to summon his sword.

"Nya?" Blair peeked out from behind Crona, glancing towards the door. "I smell a boy."

No sooner did the words leave the feline's mouth that they heard the knock. But it wasn't just a knock…a whirring drill ripped through the door, tearing it to shreds in the process. That was all the warning Crona needed, and the demon sword appeared in his hand. Just as the boy stepped forward, Liz and Patti transformed, landing in Kid's hands as well.

By the time they reached him, Deshi had made it inside, his drill arm spinning and whirring, held out in front of himself defensively. His yellow eyes were wide and crazed, his blonde hair hanging over his face as he grinned.

"Look at this…a demon boy and a reaper," Deshi hummed as his eyes danced between the two. "My queen was right…I'm in for a nice prize today…oh, yes." His gazed locked on to Crona and he lunged forward.

The demon sword clashed with the drill, eliciting sparks and a horrid medal on medal noise. Kid stepped closer, though still kept his distance, aiming his twin pistols at Deshi. The two were moving around too quickly though, and he didn't want to risk shooting Crona by mistake.

"Damn it," he muttered, trying to move around to get a clear shot. Finally, he saw an opening, and he took it. He fired four shots, two of which hit Deshi's chest, causing him to fly backwards and into the hallway. The other two, however, hit Crona.

He slammed back into the wall, his eyes squeezing shut as he slid to the floor. When they opened again, they were frighteningly opaque, a sign that the boy had lost his control to the madness in his mind. He stood up again, glaring at Kid. "You did that on purpose!" he accused, pointing his sword at the reaper.

"What? No I didn't!" Kid yelled back at him, stepping closer as he eyed the boy up and down. "I trust you're not pointing your weapon at me."

"Why, reaper boy, are you scared?" Crona mocked, grasping his arm as he raised his sword again.

"No fighting, children," Deshi's voice rang out as he appeared in the doorway again. His messed blonde hair hung over his frightening gold eyes. His drill began to whirr again as he turned to Crona. "All I really need is the demon boy…that's what she said, right?" He blinked, then lunged forward.

"Get away!" Crona screeched, his blade connecting with the drill once again. Ragnarok's mouth appeared, screaming out a fearful, high pitched noise. The vibrations forced Deshi to fly backwards once again. This time, Crona didn't waste any time. He ran after the boy, raising his sword and slashing it down again.

Crimson spilt across the wall and floor, even over Crona himself. The meister smirked as he blood dripped down his own skin, his pale eyes staring down at the injured boy. Deshi's drill had stopped spinning, the deep cut in his shoulder hindering his use of the weapon. Crona raised his arm again, preparing to strike for one final time. His mind was drowning in madness now, reality seemingly so far away.

This felt like a memory…like every other time he raised the demon blade against a helpless human. He was powerful when he was like this…he was strong. A grin curled across his lips and a small laugh escaped his throat. "Bye bye!" he hummed.

"Stop!" Kid yelled as he shoved Crona aside. He kept one gun pointed at Deshi, the other pointed at Crona. "Get control of yourself!"

Crona blinked, his arm slowly lowering. In a flash, the demon sword dissipated, returning to his bloodstream. Everything was still so foggy, but through it all, he could recognize Kid's voice. _Get control of yourself…_

"Looks like I failed," Deshi muttered as he climbed to his feet. He backed away towards an open window, seeing how Kid's gaze was fixed on the other boy's. "I make my escape…and return another day, I suppose…"

"Kid, look!" Liz shouted from within her weapon form. Kid turned and fired, but it was too late. Deshi had already fallen through the window, caught by the magic of the witch, and was flying away again.

"Damn it!" Kid cursed, throwing his weapons down. The twins transformed into their human forms before they hit the ground. The reaper stomped over to Crona, grasping the boy's shirt in anger. "You let him get away!"

"You stopped me from killing him," Crona responded, frowning down at him. His eyes had returned to their normal, dark color, indicating that he was in his right mind once again. Still, anger swam through his head. He pushed the reaper away. "This is your fault."

"He was a human weapon, not a kishin! You couldn't just kill him!" Kid argued. Liz appeared at his side, placing a hand on his shoulder in attempts to calm him. "But that's all you know, isn't it? Just how to kill…never bothering to take a step back and judge what you see before you strike. Do you realize how reckless and irresponsible that is?"

"Kid…," Patti frowned, edging towards the staircase. The meister took no notice to his weapons' attempts to pull him away.

"If all you do is kill without thinking, how do you know who you've killed?" Kid continued. "If Maka hadn't reached into your soul, she would have killed you without a second thought just as well!"

Crona flinched, glaring down at the reaper. "Leave Maka out of this!" he yelled back. "You don't trust me…but you're the only one. You know you're not a real reaper yet, you don't have to be so judgmental and righteous!"

"Do not insult me!" Kid stepped forward, clenching his fists.

"That is enough," Liz called in a stern voice. She pulled her meister back finally, stepping between the two. "Crona, go back inside. Kid is leaving now."

Crona smirked, taking this as a small victory. He shuffled back inside. Closing what remained of the door. He would have to remember to get that fixed before Maka and Soul got back…

Finally, the realization of what had just happened hit him. He attacked that weapon without a second thought, just like Kid said…he really was ready to kill that person. He really hadn't changed much at all, had he? Crona retreated to his room, being sure to lock the door behind him. He curled up on the bed, hugging his knees to his chest as he stared into the dark nothingness.

"Crona?" Blair called through the door with a knock. "I'm going out, okay? I'll be back tomorrow…" She paused, and after hearing no answer, decided to leave.

"I messed up…," Crona muttered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut. "Kid doesn't trust me…he hates me. Everyone has been so nice to me, and all I do is mess things up…" He uncurled his injured hand, rubbing his fingertips against the stitches. Slowly, he tugged at them, scratching away the hardened blood around them until he could pull on the stitches. Tears formed in his eyes as the pain hit him. But it was pain he deserved, and he knew this… Ragnarok didn't even try to stop him or harden the blood as he reopened the wound.

"It doesn't matter…nobody should trust me," Crona sniffled as tears rolled down his cheeks. Black blood dripped down his arm, dying his skin and trickling onto the bed sheets. "All I ever do…is mess up all the good things given to me…"


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10! Yay! This is my longest chapter yet, and it is full of a LOT of emotion, just to warn you. **

**To answer a few questions:**

**1. Yes, Deshi and the wasp witch are original characters of mine, I'm glad you like them! There will definitely be more of them in the future~**

**2. Yes Crona will be receiving love from Maka, in this chapter actually! So I hope you enjoy reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Thanks again for reading and reviewing, and as always, comments and criticism are welcomed!**

_Freedom…life…what do those words even mean? Even if you think you're free, you're really not. Sure, you get free from one thing, only to be under the control of something else. And life…being alive? What is that? Breathing? Thinking? Feeling? None of it makes sense…_

_No…none of us are free. We're just…insects. Vermin. Crawling around in our own shit and believing the lies that are fed to us. It's almost funny to even think that we're some sort of free… _

_And even after all that's happened, all that's changed on the outside…I'll never be free. Now that is definitely a twisted fucking joke. I'll always be trapped. A prisoner in this body…and it's not like my master is very free either… At least there are few things I can do to forget about all this shit…_

Ragnarok emerged from Crona's chest in a cloud of black blood, reforming as he set himself over the meister. The pink haired boy was still asleep, his reopened stitches leaving a mess of dried black blood over his pale skin. His eyes, though closed, moved wildly behind his lids. No doubt he was having some sort of nightmare again, as he usually did.

"Pathetic," Ragnarok grumbled. He placed his tiny balled fists on either side of the boy's face, squeezing his cheeks together. "Rise and shine, wake up, emo freak!" He pinched Crona's cheeks, eliciting a small squeak of pain from the boy. The demon grinned, and pinched harder. Yes, this definitely made him feel better.

"Nnn- R-Ragnarok…," Crona mumbled, his eyes squeezing shut as he weakly struggled to get free of the demon's grasp. Upon swatting his hands at the disturbance, his eyes finally opened as he winced in pain. He let out a sigh as he saw his hand, remembering that he had torn open the stitches the previous night. "Oh…I…I don't want to get up today," Crona muttered, rolling over, causing Ragnarok to stumble as he was forced sideways.

The demon twisted around, poking Crona's nose. "Come on, fat ass, get up!" he argued. "You may want to lay around and be depressed all day but I don't! Come on, let's go get something to eat!"

"I'm not hungry," Crona answered, his voice muffled by the pillow. "I don't want to get up…"

"Damn you're annoying," Ragnarok grumbled, rubbing his fists harder against his host's skull. "I'm sick of you whining and moping all the time, it gets really tiring having to put up with your shit every single day! At least fifteen years I've dealt with your crap and I'm sick of it!" He continued to punch and poke at any part of the boy that his small fists could reach.

"When we were little, it was always 'I can't deal with that!' or 'I don't want to kill the bunny!' or 'Lady Medusa, Ragnarok won't stop hitting me!'" Ragnarok mocked as he leaned on the boy. "And then it was all 'We don't eat human souls anymore,' and now 'you don't get any souls anymore!' Well how the fuck do you think I feel about that, huh?!" The demon punched at Crona's face, not holding anything back as rage overtook him. "I'm fucking sick of it! I'm sick of being attached to you! I know I say that a lot but I really mean it this time- Crona- _I fucking hate you!_"

A heavy silence hung between the two for what seemed like forever. Crona's eyes slipped closed as he shifted uncomfortably, curling his knees up to his chest. Ragnarok hovered over the boy, silent and waiting for a response.

"I…I am sorry…," the meister muttered. A couple tears escaped his eyes, rolling down and soaking into the fabric of the pillowcase. He buried his face, turning away from the weapon. Without another word, Ragnarok slunk back, returning as black blood into the boy's body.

The pain was horrible. Crona struggled to breathe, his lungs fighting against the guilty pressure that sat on his chest. His throat tightened, and more tears threatened to escape his eyes as he whimpered to himself.

"I'm sorry, Ragnarok…," Crona muttered with a shaken voice. His fists clenched and tremors wracked his body. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry for being a horrible person! I'm sorry Kid! I'm sorry Maka! I'm sorry Blair and Liz and Patti and Soul- everyone _I am so sorry!_"

He gripped at his chest, the suffocating pain almost becoming too much to bear. Stein had assured him that, even without his pills, he couldn't die from a panic attack, but right now he seriously doubted the man's word. It sure as hell felt like he was dying. It felt like a giant hand was grabbing his heart, squeezing ruthlessly and then shoving him beneath the weight of his own guilt to drown him. His lungs swelled up as his breath slipped shakily through his lips, nearing the pace of hyperventilation. Because his lungs were closer together than a normal human's, he was allowed to breathe much faster, speeding up his anxiety. And his heart- that damned organ in the middle of his chest- he was sure it was about to explode, bursting through his skin and shattering his rib cage. He knew that it was impossible, but he couldn't stop the images. And part of him- part of him wished that his heart would just explode so that he could end this misery, end this pain forever…

888

"Pum pum pum~ pumpkin is my song~" Blair skipped back towards the apartment, her arms filled with grocery bags. "Hm…Crona sure will be happy to wake up to something yummy! And after I sent that cute repair man to fix the door, he'll have nothing to worry about!" The cat witch bounced up the stairs, pulling a key out of her cleavage as she approached the door. "Pum pum pumpkin~"

Blair stepped inside, setting the bags on the counter before patting over to the boy's closed door. "Oh Cronaaaa~" she sang as she knocked on the door. After hearing no answer, she tried the doorknob, pouting when she discovered that it was locked. "Don't tell me that kid is still asleep…," she muttered as she stepped back. "Oh well, he'll just have to heat up the leftovers! Time to fry up some yummy mackerel!"

Morning faded into afternoon, and soon it was evening again. The leftover fish was sitting cold in a pan on top of the stove. Blair had curled herself up on the couch, dozing off for a nap as the television softly played an old movie. It was around that time that Maka and Soul finally returned home, both exhausted from their mission.

"Wasn't our door a different shade of brown?" Maka raised an eyebrow as they stepped inside.

"Whatever," Soul yawned as he closed the door behind himself. He shuffled to the kitchen, crinkling his nose as he spotted the fish, cold in a pan on the stove. He turned to the refrigerator, searching through it for something eatable.

Maka patted over to click the television off as she saw that Blair was asleep on the couch. She leaned down to pat the feline between the ears, causing them to twitch. It seemed that the cat was asleep for the night. Maka yawned and turned to her bedroom, pausing when she felt that the door was locked.

"Oh…Crona?" she called softly as she knocked on the door.

There was another pause, and then the sound of shuffling could be heard from behind the door. The little click of the door being unlocked, followed by the creak of it slowly opening. Crona kept his head hung down, his face shielded by the hood of his sweatshirt and his messed pink hair. The boy was head to toe in black, his clothes too big and too long for him, though he didn't care. It was kind of nice; feeling like he was drowning in blackness…like he could just lay down and disappear.

After opening the door, Crona turned, shuffling back to his bed and flopping down without another word. It was concerning, really, once he thought about it. Seeing Maka didn't even elicit a smile. Not even that familiar leap his heart gave when he saw her. The dark cloud around him refused to lift, even with his savior back by his side. The cloud, the fog of guilt, was much too thick.

"Crona?" Maka repeated as she stepped into the room. Her expression conveyed concern, and even borderline fear, as she gazed at the boy. She had seen him like this before…when he was being swallowed by madness, just before he disappeared. Before he killed his mother…

"Crona, what's wrong?" Maka came to his side. She sat at the edge of his bed, but he only rolled so that he was facing the wall instead of her. "Did something happen? Did Blair do something? …Kid came to check on you, right?"

"Blair didn't do anything," Crona breathed. He really didn't want to speak, but he knew that he couldn't let Blair get in any trouble. That cat was so nice to him…too nice. She shouldn't be so nice to someone like him…not when he's so horrible… "Kid came," Crona continued, still speaking in barely a whisper. "And Deshi…"

"Deshi?" Maka jumped a little at the name of the weapon. "He attacked you? Are you alright?" She paused, then noticing the stains of black blood on the sheets. Her heart sunk. "Crona, are you hurt?" Maka reached out and touched the boy's arm, causing him to flinch.

"I'm fine, Maka," Crona answered coldly. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to be touched. He wanted to fade away and be left alone, drown in the blackness around him. He squeezed his eyes shut, forbidding any more tears to spill out. The boy's body began to tremble as Maka's hand settled on his shoulder.

Maka moved closer, her hand still holding Crona's arm, silently urging him to look at her. She could feel his soul, the way it sat in his chest right in front of Ragnarok's soul. The wavelength was still dry, it always had been, but ever since the first time she reached out to him, it had changed. Crona's soul was more open, more relaxed and free. But now…not it felt sort of dark. Maka closed her eyes as she focused on it more closely. She could feel it, that dark cloud of guilt hanging over Crona's soul. She reached out to him…there was a spark, and then another, and their souls were connected. Crona stopped trembling, his body finally relaxing beneath her touch.

"Crona…what's bothering you?" Maka spoke softly.

Crona let out a heavy sigh, feeling Maka's calming wavelength wash over him. It was comforting, especially since she had mastered how to connect her soul to his by now. There was no hiding it from her, as much as he wanted to…but he knew that he had to. He sat up straight, pulling away from the girl's touch again.

"I need to go out," he spoke coldly as he stood up. He walked over to the closet, pulling off his baggy sweatshirt and searching for a more appropriate shirt to put on.

Maka couldn't help but blush as she watched the boy change, her gaze glued to the dozens of dark scars all across his skin. She bit her lip, knowing it was wrong to stare at him, but she couldn't help herself. Something intrigued her; maybe it was blatant curiosity, or maybe it was something more… The girl shook her head, pigtails swinging across her face as she shook the thoughts away from her mind.

"Where are you going?" Maka asked as she finally looked away. Crona turned around, running his hands through his messed pink hair in a pathetic attempt to fix it. Maka stood up, approaching him cautiously. "Where…are you going?" she repeated slowly.

"Ragnarok…Ragnarok needs souls," Crona mumbled, his gaze slipping to stare at the floor. "I'm afraid he'll die if he doesn't get any…"

"Die?" Maka frowned, confused by this. How could the demon die when he was still connected to Crona? It didn't make any sense… She bit her lip as she noticed Crona's hand, the stitches all torn up and his skin dyed an inky black. "Crona, your hand…" She reached out to him, causing him to recoil.

"It's fine," he muttered, taking a step backwards. His back pressed into the closed door, and he paused, his eyes slipping closed. Throat tightening, his voice lowered to a whisper. "I deserved it…"

Now…now Maka was angry. She reached for a book on her desk and held it threateningly over her head. "Crona Gorgon, you are going to stop this right now! Or…or you'll get a Maka-chop!" Her voice quivered as she made the threat.

"M-Maka, please," Crona spoke softly, his eyes opening again to stare intently at her. He looked so tired, the dark circles beneath his eyes somehow even darker than usual. Maka slowly lowered her arm, letting the book clatter to the floor as she stepped closer to him.

"Crona…what is going on with you?" she asked in a broken voice. "I can feel it in your soul…whatever it is, it's hurting you, and I won't let that happen. You're my friend, Crona, I love you, and I won't allow you to be so hurt!" Her hands were shaking as she clenched them into fists.

Crona stared ahead at her, his expression void of emotion as his mind tried to process what he had just heard. Love? That word…what was it about that word? The last time he had heard it, uttered from his own mother's lips, it had sent him over the edge. It had filled him with so much rage and confusion and fear; it had broken him completely. But now…what was he feeling now? His body trembled, his knees going weak as he thought about it. "L…lo…love?"

"I….," Maka stared, blinking away the tears that threatened to build up in her emerald eyes. She stepped forward, catching the boy before he fell. Her arms wrapped around him comfortingly, holding him tightly as her soul sparked against his once again.

Crona broke. Tears fell from his eyes as he collapsed into her arms, holding on to her for support as sobs wracked his body. "What does that even mean?" he muttered against her shoulder. "That- that word…"

Maka stumbled back, sitting down on the bed as Crona steadied himself. He sat beside her, keeping his head tucked against the crook of her neck. Tears slipped from his cheeks onto her chest, and his trembling hands were wrapped childishly around her waist. Maka brought a hand up to the boy's head, stroking his hair gently, an action which she was sure he was not accustomed to.

"Maka," he sighed shakily against her. His eyes slipped closed as he savored the warmth coming from her soul.

"Crona, I mean it…," Maka spoke softly as she tried to look to his eyes. "I care about you…I love you. Don't you know what that means?"

Crona shivered in response, cuddling closer to her. "That word hurts," he whimpered. "I can't deal with it…people hate me and leave me when they've had enough…"

"I told you, I'm not going to leave you," Maka smiled. "I'll be your friend forever, Crona. No matter what happens, I'll always be here. That's what love is."

Crona blinked, his mind processing this new information. Love means that you'll never leave someone? That you care about them? Then…of course Medusa was lying when she said that she loved him. She was incapable of love…but Maka… He tightened his grip around her, shifting to look up at her with watery dark blue eyes. "Th-then I love you, Maka," he breathed. "I really, really love you."

Maka blushed in response, but continued to meet his gaze. Of course, Crona hadn't quite grasped what exactly love was, but the way he looked at her…the way he spoke…

What happened next was inexplicable to either of them. Maka, going by pure instinct, and Crona following her lead, the space between them was closed as their lips pressed together. Maka's eyes slipped shut as she felt the warmth of the boy's lips against hers. Crona stared ahead in shock, unsure of what was going on. This had to be a dream, right? Things like this only happened in his dreams…

When she pulled away, Maka's cheeks flushed a bright pink, her eyes opening again to stare right into his. He looked so surprised, somewhat dazed by what had just happened. She couldn't help but think about how innocent and child-like he was…he probably had no idea what a kiss meant, or even what it was…

"M-Maka?" Crona breathed as he sat up straight. He released her from his grasp and turned to clutching his arm, his cheeks blushing darkly as well. "W-was…was that on purpose?"

"What do you…," she began, then trailed off as she turned away. "O-of course it was…I mean, it wasn't an accident…"

Crona paused, letting go of his arm as he turned towards the girl again. His trembling hands reached forward to grab hers. The anxious fluttering in his stomach stopped him from meeting her gaze as he leaned forward. "Then…can I do it right?" he asked in a whisper. This is what he dreamt of…touching Maka, holding her hands, kissing her softly…it was all he could think of since he had come back. These feelings were still so strange and foreign, and he usually pushed them away because they were so frightening. But it seemed that Maka felt the same way…she even said…

"Yes," Maka finally answered. Their lips pressed together, soft and gentle, most of it guesswork and instinct. The anxious fluttering in Crona's stomach halted, replaced by a warmth spreading through his chest, a strange kind of hunger that begged for more of this feeling. His hands shakily trailed up her arms, over her shoulders, then pausing as he gently cupped her face. Yes, this was a dream come true.

It felt like forever before the two finally pulled away from each other. Crona opened his eyes, dark blue staring into emerald orbs as they blinked at each other in disbelief. Slowly, he pulled his hands away from her, sitting up straight and turning away. His hand found his arm again, grasping it as the built up anxiety returned.

"M-Maka…I've done something horrible," Crona breathed in barely a whisper. His hands began to shake again.

"No, that- that was good!" Maka began to protest. She didn't want him thinking that the kiss was bad; it was quite the opposite. It was wonderful, and it made her feel so warm and special. She couldn't quite describe it, but she was sure that he was feeling it too…good feelings, right? She frowned, suddenly discouraged. Maybe she had taken his signs the wrong way…after all, what did she know about all of this? And what did he know for that matter?

"N-not that," Crona shook his head, still not looking up.

Maka breathed out a sigh of relief. "Then…what?"

"I…I screwed up," he continued in a mutter. "Kid doesn't trust me…and Ragnarok hates me…" He paused, glaring down at the floor as the demon's words echoed in his mind once again. His voice lowered to a dark whisper, "I'm sure if he weren't attached to me, he'd want me dead…"

Maka flinched slightly at the last part, but tried to move past it. She reached forward, her gloved hand gently holding onto his injured one. "Whatever has happened with Kid, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think it is," she assured him, her fingers slowly caressing his. "What happened with Ragnarok?"

Crona shook his head, knowing that the situation with Kid was much worse that the girl realized it to be. For now, he decided to let it go. It wasn't as bad as what had happened with his weapon. "He really hates me, Maka…," he sighed shakily. "He hates everything that's happened because of me…he gets no say in things, and it's all my fault…I-I know that nobody really seems to care or notice, but Ragnarok has no freedom of is own…" He paused, wondering if he should tell Maka about Ragnarok's deep fears. The demon was surely hate him for speaking of it, but seeing as he already hated him…

"Ragnarok is afraid he might die," Crona whispered, his hands trembling. "Without souls, he's weak…th-those anxiety pills that I was taking made my blood thin, which only made him weaker…s-so I stopped taking them…"

Maka perked up. Although she felt guilty for it, she was glad that Crona had stopped taking those pills. He could fight off his anxiety on his own. Her mind returned to the topic at hand. "Maybe you'll be allowed to feed him some kishin egg souls?" she suggested.

"P-Professor Stein is going to ask Lord Death about it…," he continued. "But after what happened with Kid and Deshi, I-I don't think-"

"Wait, Deshi?" Maka cut him off. "What about Deshi? You saw him again?"

Crona nodded. "He came here the other night…to attack me, I think," he muttered. "Kid was here, a-and we were trying to fight him off, and…I-I sort of lost control, and I almost killed him, but Kid stopped me…then Deshi got away, and Kid was yelling at me…" A tremor wracked his body, and his hand shook violently as it struggled to grip onto his arm. "And h-he was r-right, you know…I-I'm just a k-killer…I have no c-control…"

"That's not true at all," Maka frowned. Her hands grasped his shoulders in an attempt to calm his trembling. "You saved my life. You helped us all so much, and you're my friend, Crona. I just told you, I love you." An unwanted blush dusted her cheeks again, but she did her best to ignore it.

"I…I don't know…," Crona mumbled, shying away from her touch. "S-sometimes I think…I could go back to it…t-to killing and feeding him…at least that way, he'll be happy…"

"You know that you can't do that," she protested. "And I know you don't want to do that. See, Crona? You are good. You're so good that you sacrifice your own happiness so that other people can be happy. Don't you realize that?"

"I don't deserve to be happy," he murmured weakly. "Not after everything…"

Maka stared at him. He truly was broken, and it hurt her heart whenever she thought about how he had become this way. All because of Medusa… "Crona," she began. She placed a hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her. "You want me to be happy, right?"

His eyes seemed to light up desperately. "Yes, Maka, of course!"

"Then stop acting like this. Stop thinking that you're a horrible person when you're really just a victim of circumstance," she pleaded with a stern tone. "You, Crona, are wonderful. You're a beautiful person and an amazing friend. You're selfless and caring."

Then, this time without warning, Maka leaned forward and placed her lips against his cheek, leaving a small peck against his skin. Crona blushed again, regretting the involuntary reaction as he stared into the girl's shining jade eyes. Finally, he stood up, facing away from her again.

"I-I still need to go…," Crona spoke in a low tone. "I need to find Professor Stein, or Kid or Lord Death…someone who can help me and Ragnarok…and I need to make everything right again."

"Okay then," Maka rose to her feet, immediately appearing by his side. Her gloved hand clasped onto his as she flashed that familiar, determined smile that he adored so much. "I'm coming with you, Crona. Let's go."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I finally got time to update! I know, I'm a few days late and I apologize for that, but my free time has been cut short lately. I'll continue to update as often as I am able to because I do enjoy writing this story. Also, I am going to start another Soul Eater fanfic that will strictly be a CroMa drama/fluff story, so keep an eye on my profile for that if you're interested! Again, thanks for reading! Reviews and feedback are always appreciated!**

"Is this it?" Deshi paused before a building. He adjusted his clothes: a black dress shirt tucked into tightly fitting black pants, along with a yellow tie hanging from his neck. His golden eyes stared up at the building, a fancy restaurant with live music that could be heard from the outside. This was the nicer part of Death City, and Deshi was rather unfamiliar with it. But, this is where his mission was. This is where his queen wanted him to go.

"Yes, yes," the blonde boy muttered to himself as he stepped through the doors. His golden eyes were crazed, focused and fixed on the bar as he approached it. He sat down at an open seat, staring straight ahead at all of the glass bottles which contained glimmering alcohol and sparkling wines. Deshi licked his lips, wondering what it would taste like. Would it be sweet like honey? No, it would probably be sour…he didn't like sour things.

"Hey, kid," the bartender, a slick redheaded woman glared at him from behind the counter. "Aren't you a bit young to be here? Let's see some ID."

"Oh, no," Deshi's lips twitched into a distorted smirk. "No, I'm not here to drink." He reached towards the woman, and in a flash, his arm transformed into the drill, whirring and spinning loudly as it ripped apart her insides. Onlookers at the bar screamed and stared in horror, though none of them dared to try and stop the boy. Deshi's twisted grin grew as he turned to the next victim, excited to kill them all and swallow their souls…

888

Crona and Maka had almost made it to the academy- almost being a key word. They paused, froze, when Maka's soul perception picked up on the sudden disappearance of a dozen human souls. Not bothering to go get her scythe- seeing as Soul was probably already asleep for the night- the two rushed off towards the disturbance. As they ran, Maka kept a firm grasp on Crona's hand to be sure that he kept up with her. The small action made him blush, then scold himself as he remembered that this was not the time to be relishing in Maka's touch.

"I-it's here?" Crona panted as they finally stopped outside of a restaurant in the wealthy part of Death City. It was ironic that Kid's mansion was only a few blocks away from this place; they could see it in the distance, if it were daylight.

"Yes, I feel it…and that strange soul again," Maka nodded as she stepped forward. She pushed open the doors, and let out a gasp at the sight she saw. "Deshi…"

The walls were splattered a bright crimson, and blood pooled on the slick marble floors. Bodies, shredded apart, mangled and torn, were strewn across the large room. Bright blue souls hovered around, some of them still shivering with the shock of having lost their lives. The only one standing was the blonde boy, his hair stringy and splattered with blood, hanging over his crazed golden eyes. His dress shirt was torn where his drill arm extended, no longer spinning but still out and ready to strike again at any time.

Crona trembled at the sight…not because it was Deshi, and not because he had just killed dozens of innocent humans, but because the scene looked so familiar. The dead bodies, the blood, the floating blue souls, that crazed look in his eyes…the thickness of the atmosphere was almost radiating madness. Crona stretched out his hand, the demon sword forming in his grasp. Ragnarok's mouth appeared, but didn't speak. A horrid pain struck the meister's stomach; he knew that his weapon was still angry with him…

"Oh…it's my friends," Deshi smirked as he gazed up at them.

"You," Maka glared at him. "Stop this at once. Transform yourself back to normal. Or as a student of Shibusen and a member of Spartoi, I will be forced to stop you."

Crona glared at the weapon boy with anger in his stare. "Don't call us friends…"

"But…I haven't done anything wrong," Deshi tilted his head to the side, a bit of blood trickling down his cheek. "I'm just like you, you know…I get missions…I'm a weapon…I'm only doing what I'm told to do. I do it to please my master, just as you do."

"Do not compare your senseless killing to the will of Lord Death!" Maka threatened as she stepped forward, her hands clenched into fists.

"Maka, s-step back," Crona glanced to her as he moved ahead of her. "You don't have a weapon…"

"Oh, well…demon child. At least I can collect you now," Deshi grinned as his golden gaze turned to the pink haired meister. "You, you…your mother was Medusa. Tell me, is it true? Are the rumors true?" He slowly stepped closer as he spoke, his eyes glowing with crazed curiosity. "Did you kill Medusa?"

Crona flinched at the question, his grip tightening on the demon sword. A light flash overcame his eyes as he glared at the weapon. "Yes, I killed her," he answered in a low tone. "She's dead. Just like you're about to be."

"Now wait, wait!" Deshi leaned forward, his eyes wide. "Remember what reaper boy said! Remember? Remember he said! He said you can't kill me!"

"H-he said I shouldn't kill you," Crona's voice quavered slightly. "B-but he's not here right now...he doesn't see what you've done."

"Crona, stay in control…," Maka whispered to him as she stood by his side. She could recognize that expression on the meister's face…the way his eyes would get so frighteningly opaque, his stare focusing and shifting. His breath slipped quickly and rhythmically past his lips, and the muscles in his back and arms tightened as he clutched his arm, gripping the demon sword. It was almost frightening to see him like this, to remember how much power the swordsman really had when he was enraged or fueled by madness.

Crona nodded to Maka in response. He was trying his best to stay in his right mind, not like the other night when he had lost control. But it was so difficult, after spending his life giving in to the madness inside his blood, allowing it to take control for him. Killing was so much easier when he didn't have to think, when it became second nature, like breathing. Crona's eyes widened, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints as he stared at Deshi. The yellow haired boy seemed unfazed by the physical change in his opponent.

"Well, I've heard other rumors too," Deshi grinned as his free hand wiped a bit of blood off of his drill arm. "They're more than rumors, though…you know what they called you? Crona-almost-kishin. _Almost. _You couldn't even become kishin with the help of Medusa, could you? It's so funny! And you know, I guess I'm Deshi-almost-kishin. Of course it doesn't have the same nice ring to it as your title did…" The boy paused, glancing up to stare at Crona again, his eyes crazed and wild again. "How many souls, Crona? Demon child? How many souls did you swallow? That dark sword of yours…" His gaze slipped down to look at Ragnarok.

"Sh-shut up!" Crona cried, his voice wavering as he clutched his sword tighter. It was hard enough to push away the memories of his past, but now he was being reminded of them. It was horrifying, and making him anxious to the point of rage. The black blood pumped through his system faster, flooding his brain with madness. "I'll kill you!" he shouted again, taking a quick step forward.

"Almost kishin, almost kishin…demon child Crona," Deshi giggled madly as he sang to himself. "You know if Medusa and Oojo got along, we could be best friends! We could be kishin together! Wouldn't you like that?"

"I said shut up or I'll kill you!" Crona screeched, his patience wearing thin. Maka placed a hand on his shoulder, which he harshly recoiled away from. He wished that Maka weren't here so that he could let go and kill this kid already…

With a flash, Deshi's arm transformed back into its human form, though still coated with blood. He raised his hands defensively and smirked. "I changed back, see? No reason to kill me," he giggled again, his golden gaze taking in Crona's image. "Now can we be friends? You could help me slip out of these dirty clothes of mine, too…"

"I am placing you under arrest," Maka finally spoke up as she stepped ahead of Crona. "As a member of Spartoi, I am authorized to bring you in to Shibusen for interrogation. You can come willingly, or Crona can help you."

"I'll do more than help," Crona muttered under his breath. His shaky eyes still locked on to Deshi as he held up his sword, making sure that the boy didn't make any suspicious movements.

"What? You'll slice me to ribbons?" Deshi smiled as he brushed his hair back. "Oh, but…arrest? Oojo won't like that…"

"And where is she? The wasp witch?" Maka asked as she took another cautious step forward, being careful to avoid the puddles of blood that soaked the floor.

"Not in Death City," Deshi muttered as his smile twisted into a frown. "She sent me on my own this time. That means no flying away for me. No, no…I am stuck here with my friends."

"Don't call us friends!" Crona threatened, closing the space between himself and the boy then. The black blade pressed to Deshi's neck, ready to slash across his throat. "D-don't you dare…y-you don't know what I've gone through to be able to call Maka my friend…"

"Maka?" Deshi blinked, his golden eyes wide as he glanced at the girl again. "Is that who that is? Maka? What a lovely name, and yet…it doesn't sound so well when you say it with 'Crona'…"

Crona felt his face flush, slightly embarrassed by the small statement. He subconsciously pressed the blade harder against the boy's throat. Maka appeared by his side and grasped onto Deshi's hands, pulling them hard behind his back, eliciting a small squeak of pain from him.

"Wh-what do we do with him now?" Crona muttered, glancing at the scythe meister.

"We take him to Shibusen and put him in a cell," Maka answered firmly. "And then we report to Lord Death."

888

The meeting with Lord Death served more than one purpose, of course. Crona explained his experience with Deshi a few days earlier, though Kid had already expressed his opinion on the situation. Death was quick to forgive Crona as always, and so there seemed to be no harm done. Then, of course, Maka explained that they had captured Deshi, and that the boy was in a holding cell at the moment. Lord Death seemed pleased that they captured the boy before he could swallow any more souls. And with that, the two meisters were dismissed.

"At least you're off the hook for the other night," Maka offered a small smile to him as they walked down the hallway. "I think Lord Death knows that Kid can overreact sometimes."

"I-I guess so," Crona muttered, rubbing his arm nervously. He winced and looked down at his injured hand once again. Though the stitches were pulled open, and the black blood hardened around the wound, it still stung.

"So…Ragnarok has been quiet," Maka commented, glancing over at him again. She paused to look at Crona's back, half expecting the demon to emerge.

"I told you, he's mad at me," Crona mumbled, not wanting his weapon to hear him. "He hates me, Maka…a-and what's worse is he can't even get away from me."

Maka frowned, reaching to grasp his free hand. "You two will be okay…you've fought before."

"Not like this," Crona shook his head. He squeezed Maka's hand as a soft blush formed on his cheeks. His pace slowed to a stop just before they reached the academy's front doors. Before stepping out into the moonlight, he wanted to pause in the dark hallway for another moment. His gaze slipped down to stare at the floor. "M-Maka…before we left…" He trailed off, unsure of how to finish his statement.

Maka blushed as well, but kept her gaze on the boy before her. "We…we kissed, yes," she spoke softly, completing his thought.

"I-I've never…done anything like that before…," he admitted, somehow even more embarrassed than he ever had been in front of her. Despite her warm, calming wavelength, his soul was shaking as an anxious pressure sat on his chest.

"I…I've only…once," Maka let out a small sigh, slightly ashamed of herself for admitting this. Crona glanced up in surprise, his eyes wide with wonder and confusion. He didn't have to speak to convey his curiosity. Maka let out another sigh, her hand squeezing his tightly as she prepared herself to explain.

"It was a while ago…maybe a year or so after Soul and I partnered up…," she began slowly, allowing that much information to sink in. She was sure that he understood where this was going. "You know, the relationship between meisters and weapons is complicated…and though many times, partners fall in love, I guess…Soul and I misunderstood our relationship at the time. What we thought was romantic love was actually just a normal partnership, and platonic love…." She paused, glancing up to see Crona's expression twisted into one of confusion. She let out a small laugh, giving his hand another squeeze. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that Soul and I kissed…we tried to be together like that for a little while, but we both agreed that it wasn't working out like that between us. We decided to just be friends and partners instead."

Another break of silence hung between them as Crona slowly processed this information. After a while, he let out a small sigh and decided to respond. "So…y-you and Soul aren't…"

"We're just friends and partners," Maka repeated to assure him. Both of her hands clasped onto his, her fingers rubbing lightly over his knuckles.

"Wh-what does that make…you and m-me?" Crona mumbled, pushing the words out of his dry throat. His gaze shifted down again, staring at their linked hands. He watched as Maka's grip tightened around his limp fingers.

"I'm not sure…," she answered slowly. Crona flinched at the response and pulled his hand away as if it were touching a burning fire. Maka was quick to reach forward and catch his hand again, pulling it back in her grasp lightly as her eyes searched his. "What do you want us to be, Crona?"

"M-Maka, I…," he began, but trailed off again as his voice wavered. It was true that he felt so much for Maka. He admired her and adored her, he cherished every second he was in her presence. She had given him so much. She was his first friend, his first hug, and now his first kiss. She was his savior, his angel, giving him light in the dark madness that was his mind. Crona knew all of this, and he would easily admit to it, but he was unsure of how to put all of that into words.

"I still don't know how to deal with these feelings…even though I've felt them s-since the first time I met you…," Crona shifted uncomfortably as he spoke, too embarrassed and flustered to look into the girl's eyes. "I-I felt some sort of connection…because you reminded me of the…of that…" He paused, wincing at the memory of the little one, the little bunny that was so easy and yet so difficult to kill. That was like Maka. Maka was so easy to be around, and yet so difficult to be close to. His mind still struggled to put the words together to somehow explain his feelings to her. Of course, there was that one word…

"I-I'm scared of that word…," Crona breathed softly to himself, fighting back the tears that formed in his eyes.

"Scared of what, Crona?" Maka asked, stepping closer as she tried to read his expression. His eyes were hidden by the mess of pink hair that fell over his face. She reached up with a spare hand and brushed it aside, frowning when she noticed the tears welled up behind his dark blue eyes.

"Th-that word…I can't handle that word," Crona mumbled, his body shivering under the stress his mind pressed on him. "It hurts…"

Maka's expression twisted into one of confusion, and after a short pause, she finally responded. "Love?" she asked, and Crona flinched. "Crona…love isn't a bad thing."

"I-it's horrible," Crona shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "L-love is what made me stay with M-Medusa…love is what tore me apart and made me hurt my friends. It's confusing and horrible and I hate it." Salty, hot tears trickled down his cheeks in straight trails.

"But that's…you have the wrong idea," Maka responded softly. She pressed one of her palms to Crona's chest, causing him to gasp. "Love is what's beating in your heart. It's warm and comforting and friendly. It's a wonderful feeling…don't you feel it?"

"It hurts," Crona answered breathlessly. "Wh-when I'm around like this, it's h-hard to breathe. L-like there's a pressure on my chest. And I stutter a lot a-and I get so nervous and anxious and- and-"

Crona's words were cut short when Maka's lips pressed against his. He gasped against the kiss, his eyes wide in confusion, his body as still as stone. Why was she kissing him? What was happening? Why couldn't he get his final thoughts out? Why couldn't he tell her why this was so wrong?

"No Maka," Crona pulled away, blushing darkly but also looking ashamed. "I-I don't…I don't deserve you."

_Smack!_

Crona winced as a dictionary connected with his skull. His tearstained eyes opened to stare sadly at Maka, his lower lip trembling as he tried to fight off another sob. Maka pulled her book back, frowning as she took a step closer. Their bodies were almost touching, their chests heaving for breath against each other.

"What have I told you about hurting my friend?" she asked softly, her tone almost playful. "Crona, you of all people deserve love. You've never had a fair chance to feel it…"

"M-Maka…you're too good to me," Crona whimpered, wiping his eyes pathetically. His cheeks flushed darker, now with embarrassment. Why couldn't he be a man and stop crying? He almost wished that Ragnarok would come out and smack some sense into him…

"I love you, Crona," Maka smiled as she took his hand in hers again. "It's okay if you don't want to say it back to me yet, I understand. Just know that I love you, and like I told you before, I'm never leaving you."

Crona nodded, letting out a breathless sigh as his eyes slipped closed. Her soul was warming and enveloping his own once again. Once more, Maka's lips pressed against his own in a slow, soft kiss. As they pulled back, their foreheads leaned against each other's, eyes still closed in peaceful silence. Crona's lips parted again to whisper, "I love you, Maka."


End file.
